Are You 100% Confident Your Goods Are PFAS Free?
Best Buy recently sent a letter to its vendors that starting January 1, 2026, it will directly pass all PFAS-related fines or compliance costs to them. To reduce the risk of fines, manufacturers will need to remove intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from products where state laws restrict forever chemicals, with documentation to prove it.
This announcement should make every electronics brand and supply chain stop and reassess their current PFAS strategy.
PFAS Risks Have Hit a Turning Point & There’s No Going Back
Best Buy’s policy makes the invisible PFAS problem very visible, very quickly. And it’s highly likely that other retailers will follow suit.
This is just one of many signals that retailers are no longer waiting for regulators when it comes to enforcement. They’re protecting themselves from supply chain risks and holding suppliers accountable for what’s in their products.
If you sell into consumer electronics, directly or indirectly, this affects you. You should expect an aggressive domino effect up the value chain as vendors engage their own suppliers looking for PFAS declarations.
State PFAS Regulations Add Complexity
One of the most challenging aspects of PFAS compliance in the U.S. is that restrictions are mandated at the state level, without a federal-level regulation that outlines what is banned. Each U.S. state can set its own timelines, definitions, carve-outs, and exemptions for forever chemicals. What’s legal in one state may not be in another.
Best Buy, a national retailer, is taking a broad approach and passing on PFAS-related fines from any state. It is passing the complexity of understanding PFAS laws state-by-state to its vendors. That means it’s on you to know PFAS restrictions anywhere Best Buy sells goods, regardless of where you do business yourself.
What Are PFAS in Best Buy Supply Chains?
What are PFAS? Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a family of durable, synthetic fluorocarbons that are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic. Due to their tight chemical bonds, these substances have difficulty breaking down over time, giving them the nickname “forever chemicals”. PFAS may be intentionally added in coatings, adhesives, wiring insulation, housings, semiconductors, or packaging (to name just a few).
Electronics products have complex, multi-tier supplier networks. PFAS can be hidden in the upstream supply chain, in parts or components you might not expect.
What to Do Right Now
To protect yourself from PFAS-related fines, and protect your relationship with Best Buy and other retailers, you’ll need data from your own suppliers.
Here are immediate priorities for PFAS due diligence:
- Map your exposure risk across products and components. Start by identifying where is PFAS in your supply chain, such as in parts that require specialized coating or adhesives.
- Engage suppliers with targeted PFAS data requests. Send structured PFAS questionnaires to relevant suppliers. Make it as simple as possible to send data digitally.
- Develop retailer-ready PFAS documentation. Retailers like Best Buy increasingly require PFAS documentation before products go on shelves. Start building those evidence packages now.
Taking these steps, and implementing the right PFAS compliance software, gives you a massive competitive advantage. We’ve seen it happen time and time again: For example, one Assent customer recently reported that “when the leading competing manufacturer failed to provide compliance documentation to Amazon, they were ripped off the marketplace. We grabbed 7-figures worth of revenue overnight. That’s the business case showing compliance isn’t just a cost center.”
It happens with Amazon, it’s happening with Best Buy, and it will happen more often as retailers outsource their risk management onto the shoulders of their suppliers.
Launch Your PFAS Program in Just Weeks
Best Buy will start passing over fines and penalties as early as January 1, 2026. That leaves no breathing room for vendors to delay on PFAS declarations and collecting supply chain data. If you don’t already have a program up and running, you’re already at major risk.
Assent’s PFAS Identification Software for supply chains is the fastest and most efficient way to know which PFAS are in your supply chain and map those forever chemicals back to all U.S. states with restrictions. We provide a secure, AI-native digital platform to rapidly request and share PFAS data with upstream suppliers and roll the data up into PFAS reports for your customers like Best Buy.
We have helped hundreds of companies launch PFAS programs in a matter of weeks, keeping them protected from avoidable fines and lost market access.
Speak to a PFAS Expert
Over the next few weeks, PFAS readiness will determine who keeps their shelf space and who loses it.
If you’re not 100% confident all your products are PFAS-free, across your full supply chain, then you’re at risk. Assent’s PFAS experts are here to help. Contact us and we’ll walk you through how you can turn this market disruption into a competitive advantage.
