Greenpeace launches new attack on outdoor brands over PFCs
08/09/2015
In a press release introducing the new report, and in the document itself, Greenpeace suggests a link between the presence of PFCs in samples it has taken of snow and lake water and the jackets and other clothing and footwear that outdoor enthusiasts wear. It does not explain in any detail why it believes this link exists or how it believes it has occurred.
Eight Greenpeace teams led expeditions to remote mountain ranges and lakes on three continents. They took snow and water samples in Chile, China, Italy, three Nordic countries, Russia, Slovakia, Switzerland and Turkey, and analysed them for environmentally hazardous per- and poly-fluorinated chemicals (PFCs).
The results showed traces of PFCs in snow samples from all of the sites, said Mirjam Kopp, Greenpeace Switzerland toxics campaigner. She added that it was “deeply concerning” to see that these chemicals have reached remote areas.
“PFCs such as the ones currently used by outdoor brands are being transported and deposited even in remote mountainous regions around the world,” Greenpeace continued. “The outdoor sector uses images of beautiful mountain landscapes, majestic forests, freshly fallen snow and clean rivers to convey the idea of freedom and love of nature. These positive images are heavily promoted by manufacturers of all-weather clothing and have brought strong double-digit growth in recent years. It is ironic to think that companies who depend on nature for their business willingly release dangerous chemicals into the environment.”
The campaign group went on to name The North Face, Columbia, Patagonia, Salewa and Mammut as examples of outdoor brands that have “shown little sense of responsibility when it comes to eliminating hazardous chemicals such as PFCs”.
At the time of the 2012 dispute, some outdoor brands argued that their use of solutions based on C6 chemistry rather than C8, meant the protective coatings on their clothes and shoes were risk-free.
One of those named, Mammut, said in 2012: “As an absolute alpine sports brand our clients demand the highest performance of our garments. At the moment there is simply no way around some of these PFCs at equal product quality. This is an issue of the whole outdoor industry and everyone is working on new solutions.”
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