Building a PFAS-free future
How exactly do PFAs impact people + planet? Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAs for short, are harmful forever chemicals found in consumer, commercial, and industrial products. In this episode, we’ll explore what PFAs are + what scientists, environmentalists + retailers are doing to remove them from our environment. And we’ll learn from Maine Farmland Trust - a nonprofit supporting Maine farms impacted by PFAS and advocating for agricultural policy & research to address the PFAS challenge nationwide.
Script + Narration by @ariellevking
Research by @ariellevking + @diandramarizet
Audio Engineering + Music by @awesomenostalgia
Produced by @diandramarizet + @sustainablesabs
This episode is sponsored by @keen
Episode Transcript
Introduction
Welcome to the Joy Report— a podcast by the organization, Intersectional Environmentalist, dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice, grounded in intersectionality and optimism. Tune in for a dose of climate joy and actionable steps you can take to help protect people and the planet. I’m your host, Arielle V. King, an environmental justice strategist and educator passionate about making environmentalism inclusive, practical, and irresistible. This podcast aims to give you the tools you need to stay informed and take action to protect the planet.
This second season of The Joy Report is being brought to you in partnership with our friends at KEEN, a family-owned, values-led shoemaking company on a journey to make the world’s cleanest shoes. In this episode, we’re talking all about PFAS and the ways leaders — particularly in the outdoor industry— are taking practical steps to usher in a world without forever chemicals. KEEN started its PFAS Free Detox Journey in 2014 and successfully removed PFAS from their hybrid footwear in 2018. Since then, the brand has published papers and content to create a roadmap for other brands to do the same. We couldn’t think of a better partner to help bring this episode to life.
The Problem
There’s been a serious uptick in news and lawsuits surrounding PFAS over the last few years. You may have even contributed to the explosion of searches for “what are PFAS” or the term “forever chemicals” on Google over the last six years. And perhaps you’re one of the 53% of adults in the US who are at least “somewhat concerned” about the effects of PFAS, according to a recent study by CivicScience. While these chemicals are just about everywhere, they can be difficult for the everyday consumer to identify, understand, or conceptualize, so let’s start with a little debrief…
PFAS, also known as Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances is a man-made chemical with about 5,000 different compounds. These compounds, commonly called “forever chemicals”, have been used in industry and consumer products for over 70 years because of their useful properties. However, the chemical compound does not break down easily in the environment once introduced. Throughout this episode, we will be using the terms “PFAS” and “forever chemicals” interchangeably, and they are both intended to refer to this massive, growing list of manmade chemical compounds.
Unsurprisingly, this harmful chemical can be tied to the fossil fuel industry. The chemical first hit the commercial market when petroleum and pipe maker MW Kellogg, now known as KBR, commercialized it in the 1950s. The first commercial PFAS-based treatment for clothing was introduced by the company 3M in the 1940s under the brand name “Scotchguard”. This revolutionary technology offered remarkable water and stain resistance to fabrics, making it highly desirable for various applications, including outdoor apparel and textiles. The popularity of PFAS-based treatments continued to grow throughout the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st century. Many leading outdoor apparel brands incorporated this treatment into their products, as they were widely available, cost-effective, and delivered excellent performance.
Today, forever chemicals are added to products that: help keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware; make clothes and carpets resistant to heat, grease, water, and oil stains; and create more effective firefighting foams. PFAS can now be found in fish and other wildlife, and studies have found that increased exposure has been linked to a long list of health effects in humans, including increased cancer risk, hormonal disruption, and decreased fertility.
As a result of these health impacts, and a growing awareness of the risks these chemicals pose to people and the planet, we are witnessing a shift in awareness and action toward creating a PFAS-free world.
“The sad fact is that in America, foods, drugs, and pesticides are regulated before they go into products and for all other chemicals there’s no regulation. So we can know there are serious problems with a chemical and they can end up in our consumer products.”
That was Arlene Blum, a biophysical chemist, author, mountaineer, Research Associate in Chemistry at UC Berkeley, and and executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute. The institute has been a leading voice in helping prevent the use of six classes of PFAS in children’s sleepwear, furniture, electronics, and other products worldwide. Green Science Policy also keeps track of PFAS-free brands on their website.
Even PFAS-related lawsuits have been on the rise in recent years, with plaintiffs citing health issues related to increased exposure. One of the biggest lawsuits in recent history was the January 2023 class action lawsuit against Thinx, the sustainable menstruation undergarment company. As a result of the settlement, anyone who purchased these products between November 2016-2022 was eligible to join the class action and receive reimbursement. These prodicts were advertised in a way that led customers to believe that they were a safe, healthy, and sustainable choice for menstruating people, and the media attention following this settlement led to an uptick in public awareness and concern about the prevalence of forever chemicals in items we consider healthy, safe, and/or sustainable.
So far, entities including the Environmental Protection Agency have made large strides in PFAS research, however, they don’t yet fully understand how to manage and dispose of PFAS, or the full extent and impact of regular exposure. As such, there is a strong need to phase out our use and reliance on these forever chemicals,
At this point, you’re probably thinking to yourself, “I thought this was ‘The Joy Report’. What’s joyful about an unregulated, ubiquitous chemical harming people and the planet?” To answer that question, there is nothing joyful about forever chemicals, but it is important to know about them, and understand that because they are manmade chemicals being leached out of manmade products, there are ways to cultivate a PFAS-free future for all.
Intervention
While we can’t necessarily get rid of the forever chemicals already in the environment, the goal must be to eliminate them from products as fast as possible to avoid increasing their presence in our water, soil, and bodies.
When considering the role of companies in ensuring a PFAS-free world, Matthias Foessel of Beyond Surface Technologies is quoted saying, “Giving up PFAS could be a small, temporary step backward for some of your products, but a big step forward for the health of our population and planet.”
The Thinx lawsuit is a great reminder of our power as consumers.
Our spending power is a form of accountability and has more influence than you may think. Consumer demands and an increased desire for more sustainable options have led to a notable increase in businesses adopting more creative and circular strategies that limit the development of new PFAS-based merchandise.
This has led to a significant increase in the use of: recycled materials, as opposed to virgin ones; regenerative models, as opposed to ones that merely extract from the earth; and natural materials, like leathers made from cacti and pressed apple scraps, as opposed to chemicals like PFAs. And this is all thanks to consumers like you.
In short, by promoting more systems of circularity we are doing two things—
One: we are addressing how forever chemicals can be re-used - or at least used until solutions are found to safely break them down, and two: we’re finding alternative bio-degradable materials to meet the demands that PFAS are currently filling so we can limit, to ultimately end, our reliance on these harmful chemicals.
Speaking of durability: recycling goods, especially those with PFAS, is important - but a huge part of creating a sustainable future also involves addressing how PFAS have been used to make goods more durable to extend the life of a good. Durability is absolutely a form of sustainability. A true phase-out of PFAS requires reasonable alternatives that serve the same functions. As such, solutions to limit PFAs production must perform, if not outperform this harmful chemical for other businesses to feel incentivized to adopt them.
For example, PFAS are often used to treat hiking shoes to ensure they are waterproof, but there must be other ways to keep water out of our socks when we step in a stream during a hike, right? The industry seems to have relied so heavily on this chemical for so long that sometimes PFAS-free alternatives don’t even seem possible.
That’s why we were so interested in what’s happening behind the scenes at KEEN.
Brands like KEEN have found PFAS-Free water repellency alternatives that maintain durability, without toxicity. When switching to PFAS Free, KEEN tested bio-based high-performance textile finishes that repelled water just as well as PFAS-treatments. In other words, detoxifying products does not have to affect performance or durability.
While not necessarily related to PFAS, there is another growing framework for businesses to address circularity.
“Design for Recycling” or DFR models, are all about designing products so they are easier to recycle. One of the worst feelings is throwing out our tech or other large investment items that were purchased to last just because one part is outdated or broken. Especially considering that the UN reports that electronic waste (or e-waste) is the fastest-growing solid waste stream in the world, increasing 3 times faster than the world's population. Currently only about 20% of it gets recycled. This is especially concerning, considering the detrimental impact mining for the materials to create this tech, like cobalt and coltan, have on people and the planet— as we’re seeing in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo. Manufacturers are now using DFR to design electronics with small components that can be easily replaced once they become outdated or faulty, which reduces electronic waste. Apple is a good example of consumer demand pushing for DFR. Criticisms of Apple have validly pointed out aspects of their product design that hinder recyclability - like how difficult their products are to disassemble; and the use of proprietary components and fasteners - which requires specialized Apple tools to be used on their goods; and in the lack of repairability - instead of joining parts together like well-designed lego pieces that can be taken apart, glues prevent everyday repair shop owners from helping people fix their apple products. In 2017, A vice article came out exposing Apple for having "must shred" agreements with recyclers that bar them from salvaging any e-waste. These design choices contribute to shorter product lifespans and higher electronic waste generation. Thanks to consumer demand, technology, packaging, apparel, and all kinds of goods are being reimagined so they can be recycled more easily.
I know this episode is about PFAs, not circularity systems, but I want you to feel grounded in the accountability systems we have that support our journey to a PFAs-free future. And businesses being held accountable for the chemicals they use and the waste they create are deeply connected issues that, when addressed simultaneously, can help us reimagine production in the critical ways we just learned about.
I now want to invite you all to engage in a practice of radical imagination (which, if you weren’t aware, we have a whole episode on in season one)— what would a PFAS-free world look like? What would it feel like? What rules might need to be put in place to make that happen? How will companies be incentivized to ensure these chemicals stay out of their production?
Main story
As consumers, we shouldn’t have to idly accept being poisoned by the products we buy, and many of us haven’t. There’s been a tremendous amount of consumer pressure, backed by government action, for companies to become more active participants in the creation of a PFAS-free world.
Last December, the company 3M announced that it would stop manufacturing and using PFAS across its product portfolio by the end of 2025. While 3M has not had the best track record on impacts related to people and the planet, this announcement is a huge deal and a step in the right direction that has been spurred by a desire by consumers to have safer products in their homes.
From a community perspective, there are opportunities for people who have been impacted by PFAS contamination to get involved in direct advocacy. The National PFAS Contamination Coalition is a grassroots community-led group founded in 2017 in Boston that has since grown to include 30 other community groups across the country. The coalition is made up of PFAS-impacted individuals with stories to tell, who are fighting to have federally enforceable drinking water standards for 6 PFAS chemicals. The coalition is part of the National PFAS Conference and helps ensure that community members who have been impacted by PFAS contamination have the opportunity to tell their stories before every presentation. Ensuring impacted communities can tell their stories and be involved in solutions is a central element of environmental justice.
On the regulatory front, we are seeing advancements at the state and federal level.
The US Environmental Protection Agency is accelerating its work to regulate PFAS. In February of this year, EPA released two proposed regulations under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (or RCRA) to protect communities from PFAS and other emerging chemicals of concern.
Both California and New York, two states well-known for advancing innovative environmental laws that require major changes for industries, have recently passed laws banning PFAS.
California’s Assembly Bill 1817 prohibits PFAS in textiles beginning on January 1, 2025, and New York’s Bill S5648A prohibits the sale of certain products that contain intentionally added PFAS on and after January 1, 2026; One question to consider with the passage of these types of laws is what is going to happen to all the existing inventory that has PFAS in it? We’ll explore this in episodes later this season.
Fortunately, these two states are not alone in taking action to eliminate PFAS in fabric treatments and other items. As of January of this year, 8 states have passed legislation taking action to eliminate PFAS in fabric treatments and other textiles, and there are 139 adopted policies across 29 states banning the use of PFAS in a wide range of consumer products.
A new law in Maine (Public Law 477) requires the reporting of all products containing PFAS as of January 1, 2023, and prohibits products with PFAS from being sold in the state starting in 2030. One major risk with PFAS is contamination in soil, and fortunately, solutions are being developed to ensure this doesn’t happen, like the work being done at the Maine Land Trust.
“When Maine began testing for PFAS on farmland, impacted farmers were facing so many unknowns about how to navigate the situation. Maine Farmland Trust came together with farmers, partner organizations, and state policymakers and agencies to listen to what farmers needed. In the short term, it was emergency relief to help farmers stay afloat while figuring out next steps, and banning any future land application of sludge on farmland to reduce further contamination. In the medium term it was establishing a $60 million state fund to help farmers continue to farm where possible, through adaptations like water filtration systems, pivoting their management practices, or buying clean feed for animals; or in some cases, helping farmers move forward in other ways if contamination is too severe. And in the long term, it’s research, to help understand how PFAS accumulates in crops and livestock, and to determine safe levels for consumption; and to find a path toward soil remediation so that contaminated farmland can be returned to agriculture.” Tricia Rouleau, Farm Network Director
The increased public attention, coupled with increased regulation has led to major shifts by retailers in the way they’re engaging with PFAS in their merchandise.
Last year, major outdoor retailer REI Co-Op released its third iteration of its sustainability, social equity, and environmental impact standards for the all brands that sell in its stores. There are three main focus areas this time around: fighting climate change, advancing inclusion in the outdoors, and managing chemicals, in an attempt to keep the co-op and their over 1,000 brand partners accountable as the company address the issues that are most important to their community. As a result, starting this fall, REI will not allow partner brands to sell apparel or footwear containing PFAS, which is a huge decision worthy of congratulations.
Dick’s Sporting Goods may also be banning PFAS in their merchandise within the next few years, and Patagonia is on track to remove PFAS from all apparel by 2025— already successfully removing forever chemicals from many of their fabrics, laminates and coatings.
Individual brands are also making strides to avoid PFAS in their production. In addition to KEEN, Fjallraven has been PFAS-free since 2015, and Solomon just announced they were going PFAS-free as a brand.
And again, none of this could have happened without the advocacy and support of consumers just like you and I. Part of radical imagination is living in the world as it is and believing that something different and better is possible. As such, we have to keep pushing the envelope and holding industries accountable to ensure the change we hope to see.
Call to Action
While we are seeing technological and regulatory advancements to lessen our reliance and exposure to forever chemicals— and the responsibility to do so should absolutely be held most heavily by industry— there are still some things you can do to limit your exposure to forever chemicals and help advocate for a PFAS-free future.
First, do your research - there are great resources to learn more about PFAS online to help you make the best decisions for your health and safety, like the Green Science Policy Institute website that we mentioned earlier in the episode. You can find their website linked below in the show notes. And if you want to do a deeper dive into actions being taken against PFAS, we recommend you watch the 2019 film Dark Waters, which follows the story of an environmental lawyer who sues a chemical company, and exposes a lengthy history of pollution along the way.
Spend your money in ways that align with your values whenever possible.
Continue advocating for a PFAS-free future by supporting local or statewide campaigns to get these chemicals banned near you.
Other positive climate news
Because we know that the opposite of despair is action, we want to make sure you’re aware of some of the solutions and positive climate news already happening in our world to help keep you hopeful. So gere’s some other positive climate news you should also know about.
A land back victory occured in Berkeley, CA when Berkeley’s City Council voted unanimously to give a 2.2 acre plot of land to the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, a San Francisco Bay Area collective led by women that work to return land to Indigenous people.
The U.S. Military can no longer perform live-fire training at Mākua Military Reservation in Hawaii after 25 years of community advocacy.
President Biden has proposed an increase on taxes for private jet fuel, in an effort to improve fairness and ensure greater accountability for the disproportionately high emissions produced by these vessels
Additional IE updates
And in the world of Intersectional Environmentalist:
IE recently launched the Intersectional Environmentalist Database - a database that showcases orgs and efforts all over the U.S. by state and by key topic areas. IE has long served as ‘movement-connectors’ through our educational resources, and we’ve utilized IE’s platforms to center intersectional environmental orgs + efforts all over the world. This new database is meant to strengthen IE’s capacity to connect you with local environmental + grassroots efforts.
In case you missed it, IE recently launched a toolkit called “Environmental Justice Issues in Palestine”. The Goal is to empower those learning about the connection between colonialism and climate change—resulting in social and environmental injustices for people + planet through the lens of Palestinian climate resistance. Thank you to all the professors, teachers and local educators who have used our tool-kit during this urgent time to demand critical action like a ceasefire and the distribution of aid. If you want to take further action, download the 5calls app to receive easy to use scripts and phone numbers to call your reps today.
Coming up this week, the Earth Sessions team is excited to be hosting two shows in the Bay Area: a collaborative event with CalAcademy’s NightLife on April 25, and an event with Pinterest on April 27. Earth Sessions are climate justice gatherings that combine music and environmentalism to strengthen community, celebrate the role of art in movements of change, and provide multicultural education to new audiences.
Atmos Financial and IE have teamed up to create a limited edition debit card that supports climate leadership right from your account. Together, your deposits can fund climate-positive infrastructure while giving back to IE with every swipe. Visit joinatmos.com/ie-debitcard to learn more and sign up for an account with Atmos!
If you love this podcast and want to support IE’s ongoing resource development, please remember that sharing our resources across platforms, rating our podcast episodes, and donating to IE helps us continue this work.
Outro
And remember, fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for them, now more than ever.
Our individual actions do have power, and they’re strengthened when we do them as a collective. Tune in next episode where we’ll be exploring the intersections of conscious consumerism and climate.
I’m your host, Arielle King, and thank you so much for listening to this episode of The Joy Report.
Show Notes
Check out 'the Green Science Policy Institute’s database: https://greensciencepolicy.org/resources/consumer-resources/.
Maine Farmland Trust is rooted in the belief that the future of farming depends on farmland and the future of our communities depends on thriving farms. Learn more about their efforts to protect farmland, support farmers, and advance the future of farming at www.mainefarmlandtrust.org.
