Used in rainwear, PFCs are a major source of pollution. By 2024, Patagonia aims to produce all of its water-repellent finishes without PFCs.
PFC: What are we talking about?
PFC is a generic term for the perfluorocarbons used in the garment industry for waterproof membranes and water-repellent finishes. PFCs allow moisture to form drops and roll off the top layers of fabric and membrane.
What is the problem with PFCs?
As their name suggests, perfluorinated or polyfluorinated substances contain fluorine. Fluorine does not dissolve in nature, however, and is dispersed by wind and weather. A kind of eternal chemical that ends up invading even the wildest regions of the planet, as demonstrated in 2015 by a film by Greenpeace which reviewed the conclusions of a large-scale study conducted by the NGO on this subject. It is now known that fluorine is everywhere and ends up in the air, water and food we eat. Not to mention their contribution to the greenhouse effect and environmental contamination by endocrine disruptors.
How can we do without PFCs?
It is not easy to do without PFCs, whose waterproof and water-repellent characteristics are highly sought after in the world of outdoor sports. The objective is to find the best alternative to PFC without compromising the performance and durability of the products. At PatagoniaClothing marked "PFC-free" includes all products manufactured without perfluorinated substances. This therefore also includes PFA, PFO and PFOA, which are chemical substances with slightly different molecular structures and almost similar functions to PFCs. The brand began offering its first PFC-free garments in 2019. Long-term work was required to achieve this. "Making sure our waterproof and water-repellent products perform well isn't just about safety," explains the Californian brand. "It's also about creating a product that is above all durable, so that the equipment gets used for longer and doesn't end up in landfill." Patagonia has also unveiled a maintenance and repair guide of its products. Practical to make your technical clothing last as long as possible.
Goal: PFC-free 100 % water-repellent primers in 2024
For Patagonia, the challenge of producing 100% of its PFC-free water-repellent primers began over 10 years ago. Between 2013 and 2016, the brand entirely phased out the use of long-chain fluorocarbon (C8) primers, guided by studies that demonstrated C8's negative impacts on environmental and human health. The problem was that the use of C6 (a shorter-chain fluorocarbon considered at the time to be less harmful) was later also criticized for its harmful environmental and health consequences. Patagonia has therefore decided to switch to PFC-free 100 %. In 2021, technical mountaineering products with no PFCs in either the durable water-repellent primer or the water-repellent membrane were unveiled. By fall 2022, 78 of Patagonia's water-repellent-primed materials are PFC-free, and the brand is aiming for 100 % PFC-free water-repellent primers by 2024. Find out more about Patagonia on Private Sport Shop.
And to find out more about the subject, take a look at the beautiful images fromEntre2PolesPrivate Sport Shop ambassadors: