7. Phasing Out PFAS in US Apparel
35m
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Forever Chemicals
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As we learned in earlier episodes, phase-out and regulatory efforts for PFAS were not swift, and they certainly are not complete.
However, because of the recent regulatory changes on consumer goods, specifically in California, many US-based outdoor brands and chemical companies have finally committed to removing PFAS from their products.
Guests featured in this episode:
- Greg Brietmier, Mystery Ranch
- Mike Schade, Toxic Free Future
- Ammi Borenstein, Snaplinc Consulting
- Alex Lauver, Outdoor Research
- Kevin Myette, Bluesign
- Theresa Mckenney, Nemo Equipment
- Kirsten Blackburn, Keen Footwear
- Matthew Eshed, Research Fellow
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
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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.
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Sources
"Balancing Fabric Performance and Sustainability" by Black-Footed Ferret Productions, Outdoor Minimalist, [July 24, 2023], https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/96-balancing-fabric-performance-and-sustainability/id1586174667?i=1000622162915
Bergen, Sujatha. "Columbia Sportswear Eliminate PFAS Campaign Launched Today," NRDC, available at: https://www.nrdc.org/bio/sujatha-bergen/columbia-sportswear-eliminate-pfas-campaign-launched-today
Bergen, Sujatha. "North Face and Timberland Recognize PFAS Threat in Apparel," NRDC, available at: https://www.nrdc.org/bio/sujatha-bergen/north-face-and-timberland-recognize-pfas-threat-apparel
Patagonia. "Say Goodbye to Forever Chemicals," Patagonia, available at: https://www.patagonia.com/stories/say-goodbye-to-forever-chemicals/story-133800.html
The episode 7. Phasing Out PFAS in US Apparel from the podcast Forever Chemicals has a duration of
35:51. It was first published
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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
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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.
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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
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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/
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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/