The Daily Guide Summer 2023 - 15

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 to 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 treated with
PFAS. The webbing didn't need
that treatment.
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 repellant
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.
LEARN MORE ABOUT PFAS REGULATIONS AND OIA'S
NEW INDUSTRY-WIDE SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM, CLEAN
CHEMISTRY AND MATERIALS COALITION, AT THE OIA
EDUCATION SESSION ON DAY 2 OF THE SHOW, TUESDAY,
JUNE 20 AT 9:30 A.M. IN THE HYATT.
" THE RIGHT THING TO DO "
As of fall 2022, Patagonia said
78% of its products were PFASfree.
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 repellant.
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. "
OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2023 /
GUIDE 15
TAIGA VIA ADOBESTOCK
The Daily Guide Summer 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Daily Guide Summer 2023
