The Federal Association of the German Sporting Goods Industry (BSI) has officially voiced its support for the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)’s planned ban on PFAS.
Since February 2023, the ECHA has had a proposal on the restriction of the use of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), a group that also includes PFCs. The EU Commission has proposed a comprehensive package of measures in the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) to ensure that the use of PFAS is phased out in the EU unless they are proven to be essential for society.
As early as 2011, sporting goods and outdoor companies made the decision to stop impregnating products with PFAS chemicals and switch to environmentally friendly alternatives. The majority of sportswear and outdoor products made by BSI members are already PFAS-free.
However, the BSI welcomes the planned European legislation to ban PFAS as a necessary step and one which will create a balanced competitive environment in which proactive, sustainable companies are prevented from being at a competitive disadvantage.
The German organization also emphasizes the importance of a “precompetitive collaboration” approach, in which the sporting goods industry works together within the supply chain to find high-quality substitutes. A process that requires a great deal of openness and trust and repeatedly leads to challenges, which, however, have proven to be solvable.
