Why All Your Jackets Are Going to Change: Ditching PFAS w/ Outdoor Research

GEAR:30

BLISTER

Arts, Design, Skiing, Snow, Snowboarding, Sports, Outdoors, Bike, Technology, Gear

4.9 • 809 Ratings

🗓️ 22 September 2023

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“PFAS” or “Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances” are a hot topic today, especially in the outdoor apparel world, where they’ve been used for decades, most notably in the “DWR” or Durable Water Repellant finishes that are applied to a lot of clothes these days. But that’s going to be coming to an end in the near future.

So, to learn more about why this matters and what it means for manufacturers and consumers alike, Luke Koppa sat down with Alex Lauver, the Senior Director of Materials, Innovation, and Sustainability at Outdoor Research.

They cover why PFAS have been so prevalent in technical apparel for so long; how their use in clothing is just the tip of the iceberg; their downsides and why we’re seeing this recent push to completely eliminate them; the challenges presented by coming up with PFAS-free alternatives; how this shift affects the entire apparel supply chain; how Outdoor Research has approached this transition and worked to stay ahead of the curve; and much more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

Alex’s background (3:41)

PFAS vs PFC (8:38)

How long these compounds have been in use (10:41)

Prevalence in the outdoor industry (17:21)

PFAS alternatives (25:28)

Regulatory aspects and timeline (34:08)

What’s next? (50:15)

Crashes and Close Calls (55:42)

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PFAS FAQs from Outdoor Research

CDC Factsheet on PFAS

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everybody, welcome back to another episode of Gear 30 on the Blister podcast network.
0:10.1	My name is Luke Kappa. I am the managing editor at Blister, and you can check out everything
0:14.4	we are doing and reviewing over at blisterreview.com. There you can read all of our latest reviews, listen to all of our latest
0:22.6	podcasts, watch all of our latest videos, learn more about our blister membership and blister
0:27.9	plus membership programs, order our 2023, 2024 winter fires guide, sign up for our upcoming
0:35.1	Blister Summit 2024, and a whole lot more. Oh, and a little
0:40.0	teaser for all of our members and those who pre-ordered our latest Winter Buyers guide,
0:45.1	you should keep an eye on both your actual mailbox and your email inbox. The guide shipped
0:51.0	this week. Some people have already received their print copies. We just got ours a day ago.
0:57.6	And we will be sending you all an email about how to view the digital guide very, very soon. So keep an eye out for that.
1:04.8	Now, today I am talking with Alex Lover, who is the Senior Director of Materials, Innovation, and Sustainability at Outdoor Research.
1:13.1	We brought on Alex to discuss one of the biggest topics currently in the apparel world,
1:18.3	which are PTHAS, aka per and polyfluorinated substances.
1:23.9	In the outdoor apparel world, PFS have been used for decades and decades, most notably in DWR
1:30.5	durable water repellent finishes, but that's going to be coming to an end in the very near future.
1:36.7	So I sat down with Alex to go over why PFS have been so prevalent in technical apparel for so long,
1:43.5	how their use in clothing is just the tip of
1:46.6	the iceberg in terms of their use across a wide range of industries. Their downsides and why we're
1:52.8	seeing this recent push to completely eliminate them. The challenge is presented by coming up with
1:58.0	PFS free alternatives, how this shift affects the entire apparel
2:02.2	supply chain, and how outdoor research has approached this transition and work to stay ahead of the
2:07.4	curve, and much more. This is a really good conversation that covers an often overlooked aspect
	...

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