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During Polly’s travels, she has urged Burger King to join McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and other major retailers in banning PFAS from its food packaging. And she’s been urging Congress to ban PFAS from all U.S. food packaging.

Today a group of more than 100 local, state, and national organizations sent a letter to REI’s CEO Eric Artz calling on the company to lead the outdoor apparel industry in a bold transition away from the entire class of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals.”

Today, Safer Chemicals Healthy Families joined with 35 local, state, and national groups in sending a letter to the White House calling on the president to fulfill his campaign commitment to tackle PFAS by “prioritizing substitutes through procurement.”

Televisions contain toxic flame retardants, which can make their way into our bodies. And a new peer-reviewed study has fingered a flame retardant used in TVs as a significant source of the high levels of a hormone disruptor linked to reproductive harm and other health effects in our bodies.

Last month, partners in asbestos litigation reached settlements with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in two cases that will have far-reaching impacts on the way the EPA regulates asbestos.

REI has long been known for being a popular retail and outdoor recreation services business that stands by its top-quality gear, stewardship of the outdoors, and sustainability of its business. That’s exactly why we believe REI should lead the outdoor apparel industry in a bold transition away from the entire class of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals.”

One of the first things I did after moving to Seattle more than 20 years ago was to become a member of REI, not just because I needed rain gear, but because I agreed with their environmental values and their commitment to being good stewards. However, their decision to put their name on and sell products that contain dangerous chemicals that pollute drinking water supplies, wildlife, and even breast milk starkly contradicts their statements on sustainability.