PFAS “Forever Chemicals” in Clothing and Home Textiles

No one’s drinking water should be contaminated for a raincoat.

Toxic chemicals are often used in textiles such as rain jackets, other apparel, and home furnishings to make the products stain- and water-resistant. But these highly toxic “forever chemicals” do more than make textiles easy to care for. They are polluting drinking water, people, fish and other wildlife, and communities where the chemicals and products are produced and disposed of.

These chemicals aren’t even necessary to achieve stain and water resistance! Alternatives to PFAS are already in use.

Toxic-Free Future is taking a strategic, multi-pronged approach to pushing governments and retailers to phase PFAS out of textiles.

Now, our market transformation program, Mind the Store is calling on retailers like REI to ban PFAS in all products they sell. In Washington, we are working to ensure the state enacts the bans on PFAS in products as directed by law.

Our Impact

Toxic-Free Future’s research uncovered the extent to which PFAS are used in apparel and home furnishings, finding 72% of tested items marketed as stain- or water-resistant contained PFAS.
We helped pass a law putting Washington state on target to tackle PFAS in a broad range of products including apparel on the fastest timeline in the nation, by 2025. This law will lead to safer products in Washington and will be used as a model for other states, causing a ripple effect across the country and in the marketplace.
REI announced it will ban PFAS in all textiles following our nationwide campaign and state regulatory actions.