PFAS free

The designation "PFAS free" or "Free from PFAS" is used for clothing and other primarily textile products that do not contain highly harmful perfluorinated and polyfluorinated substances. These substances were not only added to outdoor clothing as a highly effective component since the 1950s, but no one at the time noticed the side effects on humans and the environment.

Perfluorinated and polyfluorinated substances are referred to as so-called eternal chemicals because they do not break down in nature. Previously, they were found in Gore-Tex and other membrane materials; however, manufacturers today are trying to phase out their use and replace them with less harmful alternatives. For example, they are still found in Teflon.

PFAS substances can enter the bodies of humans and animals through consumed food and drink, causing various problems—or at least significantly contributing to their emergence. These issues include liver and thyroid damage, infertility, cancer, and even obesity. In nature, these substances are transported over long distances due to their solubility in water.

The main reason why PFAS substances were widely used in the past was their excellent properties in repelling water and grease from textile surfaces. Nowadays, however, humans can produce materials that rival PFAS in these properties and do not have such far-reaching negative consequences. Nonetheless, thousands of types of these substances have been developed.