The Biocidal Products Committee (BPC) meeting was held in Helsinki, Finland, in February 2025. The meeting addressed the renewal evaluations of multiple active substances and the authorization of biocidal products. Below are the key discussions and outcomes:

Recently, South Korea's Ministry of Environment announced the approval of 15 biocidal products closely related to daily life, under the Consumer Chemical Products and Biocides Safety Act (K-BPR). These products include disinfectants, algicides, rodenticides, insecticides, and repellents.

The Biocidal Products Regulation Group (BPRS) is set to launch a new enforcement project (BEF-3) in January 2025.

The European Commission has announced its intention to withdraw approval for the use of ethylene oxide as a surface disinfectant in biocidal products, citing that the chemical's applications do not align with the scope of the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR). This decision is set to impact the regulatory status of ethylene oxide under the EU's stringent health and environmental standards.

On October 2, 2024, the European Commission issued Regulation EU 2024/2576, approving the compound 2-methyl-4-oxo-3-(prop-2-ynyl)cyclopent-2-en-1-yl 2,2-dimethyl-3-(2-methylprop-1-enyl)cyclopropanecarboxylate for use in Type 18 biocidal products under EU Regulation No. 528/2012.

In October 2024, the European Commission approved silver zinc zeolite (SZZ, CAS number: 130328-20-0) for use in biocides including disinfectants and preservatives for fibers, leather, rubber, and polymers. Compliance with specific regulations is mandatory. A transition period has been established to support industry adaptation

The simplified K-BPR amendment approval process officially took effect on September 11, 2024.

In February 2024, UK‘s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced that the expiry date of all biocide active substances expiring between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2026 would be extended to 31 January 2027. This amendment impacts up to 110 active substances, with the expiration dates of 46 active substances having been formally prolonged.

On January 16, 2024, trihydrogen pentapotassium di(peroxomonosulfate) di(sulfate) (CAS: 70693-62-8) was approved for use in biocidal products of product-types 2, 3, 4, and 5, in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 528/2012 of the European Parliament and the Council. Earlier on 15 January, Alkyl (C12-16) dimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride (CAS: 68424-85-1) was approved as an existing active substance for use as product-type 2, subject to the specifications in Table 2.

At the end of June 2023, the South Korean National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) published three documents to provide biocidal product approval guidance for related enterprises, namel: Guidance for Environmental Data Submission; Guidance on Product Name and Label; and Guidance for Submission of Product Efficacy/Efficacy Test Data.