5. Have We Ever Needed PFAS in Our Outdoor Gear?
26m
·
Forever Chemicals
·
As more regulations come into play, many outdoor brands have moved the needle and promised to phase PFAS out of their products and apparel by 2025.
While this is great news, what’s curious as a consumer is that alternative chemistry has existed for quite some time. Brands like Nikwax never needed to use harmful chemicals to achieve waterproof capabilities, and now Nikwax is one brand leading the charge with industry-wide innovations with cleaner chemistry.
In later episodes, we will explore how both European and US brands have moved to phase out PFAS in their product lines, but before we get to that, it is worth noting that there have always been alternatives.
Guests featured in this episode:
- Kevin Myette, Bluesign
- Brian Davidson, Nikwax
- Alex Lauver, Outdoor Research
- Kris Cody, PAKA Apparel
- Mike Schade, Toxic Free Future
If you want to learn more about what PFAS are, where they are found, the proven health effects, how you can limit your exposure, up to date news on PFAS, and how to get involved in PFAS regulatory efforts visit
Toxicfreefuture.org
Foodandwaterwatch.org
Or
Pfascentral.org
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/
WEBSITE: https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorminimalist
Fund the Forever Chemicals 10-Part Podcast: https://gofund.me/77aac225
-----------------------
Snaplinc Consulting provided expert fact checking and guidance for the creation of this podcast.
Snaplinc Consulting provides corporate sustainability strategies and ESG support across a broad range of industries including apparel, footwear, home furnishings, software, cosmetics, professional services and more.
Head to snaplincconsulting.com to learn more and contact the experts to guide you through complex topics like CSRD, PFAS, greenhouse gas assessments, SBTi, CDP, EcoVadis, B Corp and many more compliance and certification frameworks.
The episode 5. Have We Ever Needed PFAS in Our Outdoor Gear? from the podcast Forever Chemicals has a duration of
26:27. It was first published
More episodes from Forever Chemicals
The Poison Detectives
A new podcast from Canada's National Observer tells the story of a firefighter’s wife and a corporate lawyer in different parts of the U.S. who get pulled into solving separate mysteries.
Something was making cows die and deer haemorrhage to death in West Virginia.That same something could also be giving firefighters cancer – all over the country.
When the lawyer and the firefighter’s wife met, they found out they were working on the same mystery. The mystery was caused by a man-made chemical that environmental regulators should have known about but didn’t.
A chemical that is said to be so toxic it is unclear if any contact with it is safe.
The chemical was created by a corporate giant, and then another corporate giant began using it to provide the world with so-called revolutionary products. Products, it turns out, come with a very steep price.
This is a fascinating story of two people unravelling a ball of yarn that would reveal the poisoning of the world.
Listen to all five episodes now: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-poison-detectives/id1730547253
10. The Path Ahead: Remediation and Clean-Up
Throughout this ten-part series, scientists, lawyers, advocates, and product producers all weighed in on our worldwide PFAS problem. While, yes, we have come a long way in understanding the scope of the issue and began moving away from PFAS, at least in the outdoor industry, many questions still remain.
One of the primary questions is, what should we do with all the old PFAS already in the environment?
Guests featured in this episode:
- Scott Wilson, Regenesis
- Philippe Grandjean, Environmental Epidemiologist
- Matthew Eshed, Research Fellow
- Stefan Posner, Polymer and Textile Chemist
- Kevin Myette, Bluesign
- Greg Breitmaier, Mystery Ranch
- Alex Lauver, Outdoor Research
- Regina Goller, Jack Wolfskin
- Ammi Borenstein, Snaplinc Consulting
- Mike Schade, Toxic Free Future
If you want to learn more about what PFAS are, where they are found, the proven health effects, how you can limit your exposure, up to date news on PFAS, and how to get involved in PFAS regulatory efforts visit
Toxicfreefuture.org
Foodandwaterwatch.org
Or
Pfascentral.org
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/
WEBSITE: https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorminimalist
Fund the Forever Chemicals 10-Part Podcast: https://gofund.me/77aac225
-----------------------
Snaplinc Consulting provided expert fact checking and guidance for the creation of this podcast.
Snaplinc Consulting provides corporate sustainability strategies and ESG support across a broad range of industries including apparel, footwear, home furnishings, software, cosmetics, professional services and more.
Head to snaplincconsulting.com to learn more and contact the experts to guide you through complex topics like CSRD, PFAS, greenhouse gas assessments, SBTi, CDP, EcoVadis, B Corp and many more compliance and certification frameworks.
-----------------------
Episode Resources
Safer States: https://www.saferstates.org/priorities/pfas/
EPA Drinking Water Standards: https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas
CERCLA: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-04/pfas-enforcement-discretion-settlement-policy-cercla.pdf
9. PFAS as a Cautionary Tale
Throughout this series, we’ve learned not only about how harmful PFAS is as a class of chemicals but also what the outdoor industry is doing to address the issue. While we may have started too late, we are on the right track now, but the work is far from over.
Guests featured in this episode:
- Alex Lauver, Outdoor Research
- James Pollock, Marten Law LLP
- Mike Schade, Toxic Free Future
- Ammi Borenstein, Snaplinc Consulting
- Eva Karlsson, Houdini Sportswear
- Regina Goller, Jack Wolfskin
- Donna Bruns, Fjallraven
- Martin Axelhed, Fjallraven
- Kevin Myette, Bluesign
- Gabriella Whittaker, PolyCore Solutions
- Kirsten Blackburn, Keen Footwear
If you want to learn more about what PFAS are, where they are found, the proven health effects, how you can limit your exposure, up to date news on PFAS, and how to get involved in PFAS regulatory efforts visit
Toxicfreefuture.org
Foodandwaterwatch.org
Or
Pfascentral.org
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/
WEBSITE: https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorminimalist
Fund the Forever Chemicals 10-Part Podcast: https://gofund.me/77aac225
-----------------------
Snaplinc Consulting provided expert fact checking and guidance for the creation of this podcast.
Snaplinc Consulting provides corporate sustainability strategies and ESG support across a broad range of industries including apparel, footwear, home furnishings, software, cosmetics, professional services and more.
Head to snaplincconsulting.com to learn more and contact the experts to guide you through complex topics like CSRD, PFAS, greenhouse gas assessments, SBTi, CDP, EcoVadis, B Corp and many more compliance and certification frameworks.
-----------------------
Sources
Toxic Free Future. PFAS in Stain & Water-Resistant Products Study: Toxic Convenience. Retrieved from https://toxicfreefuture.org/research/pfas-in-stain-water-resistant-products-study/toxic-convenience/#:~:text=Our%20testing%20found%20not%20just,water%20resistance%20are%20in%20use
Resources Mentioned
https://greenthemetech.com/
https://www.chemforward.org/
The Global PFAS ‘Forever Chemical’ Crisis Explained by Lawyer Robert Bilott
If you’ve listened to the Forever Chemicals podcast up until this point or followed the global contamination issue over the last few decades, then you’ll know the name Robert Bilott.
In this exclusive season one BONUS episode, we hear from Robert Bilott on the current state of the PFAS problem. He emphasizes the crucial role of litigation and advocacy in pushing for necessary regulation, making it clear that our involvement is not just important, but necessary.
The New York Times dubbed Robert Bilott, the “lawyer who became DuPont’s worst nightmare” for his 19-year lawsuit exposing the scientific coverups of chemical companies using PFAS and effectively polluting the planet.
In 1999, Robert Bilott was approached by a West Virginia farmer, Wilbur Tennant, regarding a mystery pollutant running off onto his farm, killing his cattle and making his family sick.
Flash forward 20+ years. After winning his initial lawsuit for the Tennants against DuPont and then representing 70,000 citizens in Parkersburg, West Virginia, Robert Bilott continues to forge a path ahead, protecting citizens in the United States and abroad from continued PFAS pollution and contamination.
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/
WEBSITE: https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorminimalist
Fund the Forever Chemicals 10-Part Podcast: https://gofund.me/77aac225
-----------------------
Robert Bilott
Taft Law Firm: https://www.taftlaw.com/people/robert-a-bilott/
Exposure | Book by Robert Bilott: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Exposure/Robert-Bilott/9781501172823
The Devil We Know Documentary: https://youtu.be/7cCkADnhRqk?si=0cI4FWK0jMMBRp7b
Dark Waters Film: https://youtu.be/RvAOuhyunhY?si=5v4QJO_y__lztRDZ
-----------------------
Resources
Recent EPA Ruling: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-finalizes-first-ever-national-drinking-water-standard
Hazardous Substances under Superfund: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-proposes-designating-certain-pfas-chemicals-hazardous-substances-under-superfund
RCRA: https://www.epa.gov/hw/proposal-list-nine-and-polyfluoroalkyl-compounds-resource-conservation-and-recovery-act
CA AB 1817: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB1817
Environmental Working Group: https://www.ewg.org/areas-focus/toxic-chemicals/pfas-chemicals
Green Science Policy Institute: https://greensciencepolicy.org/our-work/pfas/
-----------------------
If you want to learn more about what PFAS are, where they are found, the proven health effects, how you can limit your exposure, up to date news on PFAS, and how to get involved in PFAS regulatory efforts visit
Toxicfreefuture.org
Foodandwaterwatch.org
Or
Pfascentral.org
-----------------------
Sources
Birsch, S., & Konsmo, M. (Directors). (2018). The Devil We Know [Documentary film]. Atlas Films.
8. Are PFAS-Free Products Possible?
It seems that many brands are moving in the right direction in terms of phasing PFAS out of their products, but one of the many aspects complicating this process is the potential for contamination.
In this episode, we hear directly from leading outdoor industry brands like Keen, Outdoor Research, Fjallraven, and Houdini Sportswear alongside scientists and environmental epidemiologists about how and why PFAS spreads and contaminates products so easily.
Guests featured in this episode:
- Stefan Posner, textile and polymer chemist
- Alex Lauver, Outdoor Research
- Kirsten Blackburn, Keen Footwear
- Ammi Borenstein, Snaplinc Consulting
- Kevin Myette, Bluesign
- Eva Karlsson, Houdini Sportswear
- Mike Schade, Toxic Free Future
- James Pollock, Marten Law LLP
- Arlene Blum, Green Science Policy Institute
- Philippe Grandjean, environmental epidemiologist
- Donna Bruns, Fjallraven
- Martin Axelhed, Fjallraven
If you want to learn more about what PFAS are, where they are found, the proven health effects, how you can limit your exposure, up to date news on PFAS, and how to get involved in PFAS regulatory efforts visit
Toxicfreefuture.org
Foodandwaterwatch.org
Or
Pfascentral.org
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/
WEBSITE: https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorminimalist
Fund the Forever Chemicals 10-Part Podcast: https://gofund.me/77aac225
-----------------------
Snaplinc Consulting provided expert fact checking and guidance for the creation of this podcast.
Snaplinc Consulting provides corporate sustainability strategies and ESG support across a broad range of industries including apparel, footwear, home furnishings, software, cosmetics, professional services and more.
Head to snaplincconsulting.com to learn more and contact the experts to guide you through complex topics like CSRD, PFAS, greenhouse gas assessments, SBTi, CDP, EcoVadis, B Corp and many more compliance and certification frameworks.
-----------------------
Sources
Outdoor Footwear: The PFAS Challenge. Retrieved from: https://www.keenfootwear.com/blogs/keen-blog/outdoor-footwear-pfas-challenge
SixClasses. Retrieved from: https://www.sixclasses.org/