Greenpeace’s Detox campaign, which seeks to pressure companies to eliminate their use of hazardous chemicals, called out the outdoor industry last month for its continued reliance on per fluorinated chemicals (PFCs) to enhance garments’ Durable Water Repellency, or DWR.
The targeted outdoor brands Marmot, Patagonia and The North Face responded that they have been working on eliminating PFCs from their supply chain for years.
Greenpeace Germany asked two independent laboratories to test 14 rain jackets and trousers for a broad range of toxins. Every piece of clothing was found to contain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a PFC derivative. The highest concentrations were found in the products from Jack Wolfskin, The North Face, Patagonia, Kaikkialla and Marmot.
“These results sit in sharp contrast with the typical advertising of these outdoor brands, and the image they portray about bringing you closer to nature,” Greenpeace wrote in its blog. “The price we pay is that PFOA is a persistent pollutant, which means that when the chemical is released into the environment for example, via production processes it does not break down. Once contained in food, air and drinking water, these chemicals end up in our bodies and the bodies of other organisms. Recent studies have linked them to reduced fertility and other immune disorders.”
Greenpeace went on to urge the textile industry, including the outdoor brands, to follow the lead of retailers M&S and H&M, who recently pledged to phase out PFCs near-term and eliminate all hazardous chemicals by 2020.
Outdoor brands noted they have been at the forefront of such efforts for years.
“Marmot appreciates that Greenpeace has flagged the issue of PFC’s in our products,” read a statement issued by the company late Friday. “However, it is important to note that Greenpeace’s report about PFC’s does not necessarily introduce new information to Marmot or to the outdoor industry. Marmot, specifically, has been aware of and taken the appropriate steps to address the issue of PFC’s over the past several years. We currently work with OIA and EOG on this issue and recently we initiated our participation with the Zero Discharge Group and the Chemical Management Working Group to identify future solutions.”
Patagonia, meanwhile, has already developed a strategy to use PFC free DWR technologies when they suit end use. The company has converted 40% of its DWRs in its Spring 2013 line to the shorter-chain C6 technology.
“We see this as a step in the right direction because C6, though persistent, does not bio-accumulate as C8 does,” the company stated in a written response to the Greenpeace Detox campaign. “By Fall 2015, Patagonia plans to be entirely phased out of materials containing PFOA.”
The North Face challenged Greenpeace’s implication that the PFOA’s in its products posed a health threat.
“While we respect Greenpeace's steadfast efforts to look after the planet and its people, their report is misleading regarding our product,” reads a written statement the company issues to media inquiring about the Greenpeace Detox campaign. “The North Face stands behind the quality of everything we sell, and regulatory agencies around the world have indicated that consumers are not at risk from the normal use of any of our products.” the company.”
Nikwax, meanwhile, threw its support behind Greenpeace. The British company’s offers a broad range of products to clean, prolong and restore water repellant, breathable outdoor gear using a patented elastomer it says poses none of the environmental or health risks of PFCs. It has campaigned against the use of PFCs in aftermarket products for 10 years.
“Most PFCs used in the industry until now have been based on so called “C8” chemistry,” company stated in a Nov. 5 press release. “It is now common to hear the argument that shorter PFCs, such as the “C6” versions are safe. At Nikwax we have not seen any convincing evidence of this, and in line with the recommendations of the Greenpeace report, we will continue to exclude C6 PFCs from our products.”
