PPWR self-assessment

Start now

European Commission Grants ELOCLEAR Union Biocide Authorisation

Dr Steven Brennan
Dr Steven Brennan
3 min readAI-drafted, expert reviewed
On-site electrolysis equipment beside food-processing disinfection pipework.

Key takeaway

What This Development Means

The European Commission has granted ELOCLEAR an EU-wide biocidal product authorisation from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2036. The in situ generated active-chlorine product is approved for specified professional surface-disinfection uses in product types 2 and 4. Manufacturers, equipment suppliers and users must follow the authorised product characteristics rather than treating the decision as a general active-substance approval.

Does the ELOCLEAR authorisation cover consumer use?

No. The authorised uses are for professional or industrial settings, including healthcare and food-processing facilities. The regulation does not authorise general consumer application. Users must follow the category, method, target organisms, contact conditions and risk controls in the product characteristics.

Can another electrolysed chlorine system rely on this authorisation?

Not automatically. Union authorisation EU-0035839-0000 is granted to Arrow Regulatory (Ireland) Ltd for ELOCLEAR as defined in the regulation. A similar generator or solution needs its own valid regulatory basis unless it is lawfully included within this authorisation.

Source basis: Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2028 (11 September 2026)

ELOCLEAR Union Biocide Authorisation Becomes Directly Applicable

The ELOCLEAR Union biocide authorisation gives Arrow Regulatory (Ireland) Ltd permission to make the product available and use it across the European Union under authorisation number EU-0035839-0000. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2028 was published on 11 September 2026 and enters into force on 1 October, when the authorisation starts. It expires on 30 September 2036.

ELOCLEAR is generated in situ by electrolysing sodium chloride and contains 0.2% by weight active chlorine. It is an undiluted liquid classified as corrosive to metals, hazard statement H290. The product must be kept in original packaging and a corrosion-resistant container with a resistant inner liner, as specified in the authorised precautions, and spillages must be absorbed to prevent material damage.

Authorised Uses Are Limited To Product Types 2 And 4

The authorisation covers professional hard-surface and equipment disinfection by spraying, mopping or wiping in industrial and healthcare facilities and food-processing environments, including dairies, meat processing, slaughterhouses and breweries. It also covers cleaning-in-place treatment of internal surfaces in food-processing installations.

The target organisms vary by use and include bacteria, fungi, yeasts, viruses, bacterial spores, mycobacteria and bacteriophages. Spraying, wiping, mopping and cleaning-in-place use 0.15 litres per square metre of the undiluted, ready-to-use 2,000 mg/litre available-chlorine solution. Most claims require five minutes' contact, while healthcare control of fungi requires 15 minutes. Applications are on pre-cleaned, non-porous surfaces and must be rinsed afterwards. Product retained on site may be stored for no more than seven days, below 20°C in a frost-free place out of direct sunlight.

Low- and medium-pressure spraying and rinsing require the specified respiratory protective equipment, with an assigned protection factor of at least four. Bystanders and the general public must remain outside the treatment area during compression spraying and until airborne active chlorine is below 0.5 mg/m³ or a lower applicable national limit.

Professional bystanders who must be present need the same respiratory protection. The authorised instructions govern the exact protection required. Cleaning-in-place treatment must be followed by rinsing with drinking water.

This is a product authorisation, not a blanket permission for any electrolysed active-chlorine system. Equipment configuration, precursor quality, generated concentration and use pattern form part of the authorised product identity and conditions. Suppliers cannot assume that a technically similar in situ system is covered by ELOCLEAR's authorisation.

Post-Authorisation Data And Supply-Chain Controls Matter

The Commission followed a French competent-authority evaluation dated 11 March 2025 and a European Chemicals Agency opinion submitted on 2 October 2025. The Agency found the authorised uses capable of meeting the conditions in Article 19(1) of Regulation (EU) No 528/2012, subject to the summary of product characteristics.

Arrow Regulatory must provide recovery data for the analytical method used to analyse the active substance, or justify waiving those data, by 1 April 2027. The condition does not postpone market authorisation, but it creates a time-bound post-authorisation evidence obligation.

The useful analytical insight is that in situ generation shifts conventional manufacturing controls to the point of use. Professional users therefore become critical to product consistency through salt specification, equipment maintenance, concentration checks, storage time and documented application.

The authorisation does not replace occupational safety, food-hygiene, environmental-discharge or national workplace requirements. Distributors and users should retain the current summary of product characteristics, train operators on each authorised method and prevent off-label claims.

Before first use on or after 1 October, validate the generating equipment, precursor specification, active-chlorine concentration, seven-day retention limit and use-specific instructions against authorisation EU-0035839-0000.

Get weekly regulatory updates:

Related Articles

Join 3,500+ professionals staying ahead

Subscribe to Foresight Weekly for expert-picked regulatory developments across chemicals, sustainability, product safety, ESG, and HSE.

Free forever. Unsubscribe anytime.

Read by professionals at

Boeing
AstraZeneca
Siemens
PepsiCo
SpaceX