How the Outdoor Industry Is Tackling the PFAS Problem

With state and retailer bans on the use of PFAS on the horizon, outdoor brands are looking at how to implement safer alternatives.

Written By: Bart Schaneman

PFAS. Forever chemicals. Toxic byproducts of water-repellant materials.

No matter how they’re defined, lawmakers, regulators, and outdoor industry leaders have increasingly made these harmful chemicals targets of regulations and outright bans.

These toxic chemicals are often used in water-resistant outdoor clothing, nonstick cookware, and food packaging.

Some outdoor brands have been taking steps toward reducing their reliance on PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances­) for years or have phased them out entirely, while other brands have waited for clearer guidance and firmer deadlines.

That time has come.

REI Standards

In February, REI released its updated product standards, putting the onus on its more than 1,000 brand partners to stop using the so-called forever chemicals in specific products starting in fall 2024.

In its announcement, REI specified that all cookware and textile products supplied to the company must be free of the substances.

PFAS, sometimes also referred to as PFCs, are a class of chemicals that contain at least one carbon-fluorine bond. This bond allows them to repel water, but it also prevents them from biodegrading in the environment.

They’re linked to major health problems, including metabolic disorders, fertility issues, and cancer.

Researchers have found there are more than 9,000 types of PFAS out there.

They can be found in drinking water, and in human breastmilk and blood.

OIA Coalition

Earlier this month, the Outdoor Industry Association launched its Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition (CCMC), which it defines as a comprehensive program, working group, and consulting service.

The goal of the coalition is to provide OIA members with strategies, scalable action plans, and solutions for phasing out PFAS and other harmful chemicals from their products.

It will also help guide members through complicated sustainability regulations across the country.

CCMC is designed to support outdoor retailers, brands, manufacturers, and distributors each in a way that’s unique to their product category and life stage, OIA said in a release.

“Whether our members are just starting out on the trail or cresting the summit to PFAS elimination or other sustainability measures, the CCMC is poised to provide timely, user-friendly information and ‘getting started’ insights for the industry at large,” said Kent Ebersole, president of OIA.

States Step Up 

In the absence of federal regulation of these chemicals, states are taking the matter into their own hands.

California is preparing to enact assembly bill 1817, which will take effect on January 1, 2025, prohibiting the sale, manufacture, and distribution of many textiles containing PFAS. Exemptions exist for outerwear for extreme conditions not marketed to the public as well as for textiles used in transportation.

In addition, California assembly bill 621 prohibits PFAS in juvenile products beginning July 1, 2023. Exemptions include electronics, medical devices, and internal components of juvenile products.

Other states are also enacting bans, including New York and Maine.

For example, Maine passed public law 477 in July 2021, requiring the reporting of all products containing PFAS beginning January 1, 2023, and prohibiting products with PFAS from being sold in the state effective January 1, 2030.

Washington state will ban PFAS in many consumer products, including apparel, by 2025.

Colorado, Maryland, and Vermont have also enacted PFAS bans, but not specifically for apparel – Vermont banned ski wax that contains PFAS along with fire extinguishing foam, food packaging, rugs, and carpets.

Chemical Whack-a-Mole

To get to this level of PFAS restrictions has been a game of “chemical whack-a mole,” said Todd Copeland, a sustainability consultant based in California and former environmental manager for Patagonia, during a webinar hosted by Snowsports Industries America (SIA).

Other waterproofing chemicals that have been banned over the years have gone by similar names and acronyms, including PFOS and PFOA, he added.

The difference now is that some states are regulating this entire class of chemicals as one category: PFAS.

“Some of these compounds have been studied extensively and they’ve been proven to be toxic,” Copeland said. “Not only are they not going away in the environment and building up in the environment, but they’re causing toxic issues for animals and humans as well.”

What Brands Are Doing

Although the outdoor industry is now being forced to put plans in place to react to both the state laws and REI’s move, many of these companies have already been trying to stay ahead of these changing regulations.

Brands such as Jack Wolfskin, Fjällräven, Patagonia, Keen, Mountain Hardwear, and Marmot have been moving in that direction for years.

In 2014, footwear company Keen began a “detox initiative” to remove the most toxic chemicals found in its footwear supply chain.

It took Keen four years to phase out PFAS from its manufacturing process – the brand ended up removing the chemicals from 101 places in its footwear.

The company started by identifying where the chemicals were being applied to components, materials, and finished products where water repellency was unnecessary.

For example, it found that the webbing on some of its water sandals was being unnecessarily treated with PFAS.

This identification step helped the company eliminate about 65% of the PFAS in its supply chain.

Keen then created a restricted substances list policy that helped it better prepare for changing health and environmental standards by setting rules for the substances contained in its supply chain and products.

According to a “green paper” Keen released, when the company needs durable water repellent applications, it favors a few products, including 3M’s #3705, which is made from hydrocarbon resins, and Rudolph Chemie’s EcoPlus, which is made from non-food, plant-based dendritic compounds.

“The Right Thing to Do”

As of fall 2022, Patagonia said 78% of its products were PFAS-free.

Laura Hoch, a chemist by training who works on Patagonia’s material innovation team, said in the SIA webinar that her company has been working on phasing out PFAS for a “really long time.”

One challenge in replacing PFAS, Hoch detailed, is that the primary alternatives – hydrocarbons and silicone – will repel water but won’t repel oil.

That means if someone eats oily food, for instance, then wipes their hand on their jacket, that can ruin the performance of the non-PFAS water repellent.

Once Patagonia realized it needed to move on from the industry-standard chemicals, it started testing alternatives both in the lab and in the field, Hoch said.

The company categorized its products by function, and started with non-critical materials, such as liner fabrics or boardshorts that need to quickly dry but don’t need to be waterproof.

It then moved on to its more critical products such as outer shells where people expect full water repellency and waterproofing.

Patagonia expects to be completely PFAS-free by fall 2024 with the exception of its waders, “which are an even more difficult product,” Hoch said. However, waders will be PFAS-free by spring 2025.

Hoch added that the regulations “did seem a little sudden. But it’s the right thing to do. I’m really happy this is happening. It’s been bubbling around for a while, but it’s something we all need to do.”

Liliana Frost, compliance manager at Black Diamond, said she is constantly reading and researching to stay on top of the latest developments for her company to remain in compliance.

Beyond the U.S., she’s also tracking similar movements in the European Union to broadly ban PFAS.

Six countries in the EU submitted a proposal earlier this year that would restrict the manufacture and use of PFAS across several product categories.

“I knew this was going to be a really hot year for PFAS,” Frost said during the SIA webinar. “This conversation has been happening for at least four years.”

Bart Schaneman can be reached at bart@ordaily.outdoorretailer.com.