Patagonia clarifies its position on PFCs
05/11/2012
The clothes contained what Greenpeace called “noticeable concentrations of toxic perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)”. Fluorochemical companies have agreed to eliminate PFOA by 2015; it is not a banned substance. PFOA-free water repellents made with perfluorinated molecules that have shorter carbon chains than the 8-carbon chain structure (C8) that is typically used, have been in development for years and are beginning to come to market now.
These shorter-chain compounds, typically C6, also have shorter chains, and break down faster in the environment than PFOA. The C6 compounds manufacturers have developed for water- and oil-repellency applications appear on no restricted substance lists but, in spite of this and in spite of agreeing that it has no scientific evidence for doing so, Greenpeace has called for companies to stop using C6 compounds too. It has called for a complete ban on all PFCs.
A week after the publication of the report, all seven brands have given a response. Only one of them, German brand Vaude, has said it will do what Greenpeace asks and use only non-PFC alternatives for repellency in its outdoor apparel.
Patagonia, one of the most prominent of the brands named, has not responded to our requests for a response, but, fortunately, a publication called Gear Catalyst managed to get a response on Twitter to a similar request. Patagonia posted a link to an entry on its Footprint Chronicles blog that spells out clearly the company’s position on PFCs.
It says it has worked with chemical companies to suggest and test improvements in the repellency and durability of both C6 and fluorocarbon-free finishes, arranging application trials with textile manufacturers and testing fabrics in its own lab against standard formulations. “Over time we have seen significant improvements in performance,” the brand says. “Some of these new finishes now meet the Patagonia standard, and we will be using them in more new products every season. The majority of our current products still use C8 fluorocarbon-based water repellents for our Deluge DWR (durable water repellent) [finish]. PFOA is detectable on the treated fabric at around 100 parts per billion; it’s a very small amount.”
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