Greenpeace says it has found “hazardous PFCs” in outdoor apparel, footwear and other products tested for its latest report on outdoor gear, called “Leaving Traces.” Only four out of the 40 products tested had no PFCs, the environmental organization said, and “high concentrations” of the “most hazardous” long-chain PFCs were found in 18 items. At a packed press conference at Ispo Munich, Greenpeace acknowledged that many outdoor brands have started switching from long-chain to short-chain PFCs, but the organization urged the industry to quit using PFCs more rapidly. The organization further announced that Páramo Directional Clothing from the U.K. was the first brand in the outdoor industry to have made a commitment to the Greenpeace Detox campaign. Outdoor brands consulted at Ispo broadly agreed on the objective to find PFC-free alternatives for durable water repellency, but some argued that it would take time to find entirely suitable alternatives and to obtain adjustments in the supply chain. Mammut was the target of disruptive protests by Greenpeace at stores in Switzerland and Germany after the publication of the report, which found PFCs in all six of the Mammut products tested. Haglöfs said it was withdrawing its Grym hiking boot from stores after a sample tested by Greenpeace was found to contain a concentration of the fluorocarbon PFOA higher than the limits allowed in Norway. Haglöfs said it was using short-chain PFCs in products with high DWR requirements, and PFC-free alternatives for products with lower requirements of water repellency. Norrøna, which is also working to eliminate PFCs from its products, said it had expected PFCs and FTOH to be found in its Lofoten Gore-Tex Pro jacket. However, it still questioned the values detected by Greenpeace, adding that a test carried out by Gore at an independent laboratory on the exact same fabric found values of PFCs and FTOH that were considerably lower and well within the Bluesign limit values. More details and reactions in The Outdoor Industry Compass.

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