Hikers can unintentionally damage the environment and endanger their own health by wearing clothing made waterproof with ‘forever chemicals’, research from Ethical consumer.
The campaign magazine surveyed 27 companies that make outdoor clothing, such as fleeces, waterproof jackets, hiking boots and backpacks, and found that 82% were still using per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
Some chemicals classified as PFAS have been linked to health problems, including high cholesterol, fertility, immune system disorders and some cancers. They have been used in consumer products since the 1950s and can take hundreds of years to break down, contaminating soil and water supplies.
The government said in February it was considering it limiting the use of PFAS in consumer products under the UK REACH regulations for chemicals, as they can be hazardous. Yet there are alternatives. Páramo and Finisterre do not use PFAS in their products, while Fjällräven, Alpkit, Lowe Alpine and Patagonia are largely PFAS-free. They and more than a dozen other companies say they will stop using PFAS next year.
But almost half of the companies assessed by Ethical Consumer had no phase-out date for the use of PFAS.
Jane Turner, one Ethical consumer writer and researcher said: “The irreversible global pollution and extreme toxicity of ‘forever chemicals’ have been undisputed for years, but most outdoor apparel companies still use them unnecessarily and increase the PFAS pollution burden. That is not acceptable and companies must stop using it now. Consumers should only buy from responsible companies that have stopped using PFAS.”
There are more than 10,000 PFAS chemicals, according to Fidra, an environmental charity that aims to reduce plastic waste and chemical pollution. The fabrics used in outdoor clothing cause fabrics to repel water, causing the liquid to slide away.
The process of weathering of the material means that hikers wearing outdoor clothing release some of the chemicals into the environment, although most PFAS pollution occurs during the manufacture of the chemicals, when they are applied to fabric and when a product is discarded.
Hannah Evans, project manager at Fidra, said: “PFAS have been found in rivers flowing through England, on the slopes of Mount Everest and in more than 600 species of animals, from polar bears to bottlenose dolphins.
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“In Europe alone, there are at least 23,000 known contamination sites, of which 2,000 are considered PFAS ‘hotspots’ – areas where concentrations are considered hazardous to health. PFAS are contributing to a global chemical pollution crisis.”
Páramo said it did not use PFAS in its products because the substance, Nikwax, mimicked animal fur by pushing out water. But contamination from other companies using the chemicals could be a problem for companies trying to move away from PFAS.
“The biggest problem for us has not been removing PFAS substances from our own processes, but rather convincing the textile mills we work with to do the same and guarantee PFAS-free substances,” said a Páramo spokesperson. “Since 2016, we have been able to guarantee that every garment we make is PFAS-free.”
The appeal of using PFAS is that it can make fabrics both stain-resistant and water-resistant. They are also used to make nonstick frying pans, refrigerators, jet engines and electrical appliances. Choosing to remove a potential selling point can be a difficult decision for some companies. Keen, whose hiking boots have been PFAS-free since 2018, said it “just needed something that was effective at repelling water and dirt” instead of “stains, grease and motor oil.”
Fjällräven said not making its jackets oil-repellent was “a small price to pay. It’s easy to add functionality because it’s nice to have, but every feature has a side effect.”
The Royal Society of Chemistry has called on the next government to set up an agency to regulate the use of PFAS and other substances. After Brexit, Britain left the ECHA, the European Chemicals Agency, and the use of chemicals is managed by the Health and Safety Executive, with support from the Environment Agency. The government under Theresa May promised to develop a chemicals strategy in 2018, but nothing has yet been published.