The North Face says Greenpeace report on PFCs is “misleading”
02/11/2012
In the report, the campaign group said products from five of the brands had been shown in independent tests to contain “noticeable concentrations of toxic perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)”.
In a statement, one of the brands, The North Face (TNF), has said: “While we respect Greenpeace’s steadfast efforts to look after the planet and its people, their report is misleading regarding our product.” It said it stands by everything it sells and insisted regulatory agencies around the world have indicated that consumers are not at risk from the normal use of any TNF products.
The statement goes on to highlight work that TNF has done and continues to do on its restricted substances list and on its “industry-leading partnership” with environmental, health and safety standard body bluesign technologies. To achieve bluesign certification for their products brands are required to use bluesign-approved raw materials and fabrics from suppliers and textile mills that are certified partners.
TNF has included a section on PFCs in its corporate statement on chemical responsibility, saying that PFCs are a class of chemical substances that belong to the larger family known as fluorinated chemicals, which range widely in their composition and environmental profiles. TNF currently uses fluorinated chemistry to deliver “high-performance characteristics in our products”, including water, stain and oil repellency as well as durability, it says. “Our use of these chemicals is conducted responsibly and exceeds or is compliant with all federal and international regulations governing chemical use.”
In conclusion, the brand said it is committed to developing solutions to reduce environmental impact through open collaboration and innovative design that allow it to “continue to make high-quality products that meet our strict performance requirements”.
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