Hikers may be inadvertently harming the environment and jeopardising their own health by wearing waterproof clothing made with “forever chemicals,” according to research by Ethical Consumer.

The magazine reviewed 27 outdoor clothing companies, including those making fleeces, waterproof jackets, walking boots, and rucksacks, and found that 82% still use per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

PFAS, which have been used in consumer products since the 1950s, are linked to health issues such as high cholesterol, fertility problems, immune system disorders, and some cancers. These chemicals take hundreds of years to degrade, contaminating soil and water supplies.

In February, the government announced it was considering restricting PFAS under the UK’s REACH chemical regulations due to their potential hazards.

However, there are alternatives available. Companies like Páramo and Finisterre do not use PFAS, while Fjällräven, Alpkit, Lowe Alpine, and Patagonia are mostly PFAS-free and, along with more than a dozen other firms, plan to end PFAS use next year.

Despite this, nearly half of the companies assessed by Ethical Consumer have no phase-out date for PFAS.

Jane Turner, an Ethical Consumer writer and researcher, said: “The irreversible global contamination and extreme toxicity of ‘forever chemicals’ have been undisputed for years, but most outdoor clothing companies are still unnecessarily using them and adding to the PFAS pollution burden. That’s not acceptable, and companies must stop using them now. Consumers should only buy from the responsible companies that have stopped using PFAS.”

Environmental charity Fidra notes that there are over 10,000 PFAS chemicals.

In outdoor gear, they help fabrics repel water by making the liquid slide off. However, the weathering of these materials causes hikers to shed some of these chemicals into the environment. Most PFAS pollution, though, occurs during the manufacturing process, when the chemicals are applied to fabrics, and when products are discarded.

Hannah Evans, a project manager at Fidra, said: “PFAS have been found in rivers running through England, on the slopes of Mount Everest and in more than 600 wildlife species, from polar bears to bottlenose dolphins.

“In Europe alone there are at least 23,000 known contamination sites, 2,000 of which are considered PFAS ‘hotspots’ – areas where ­concentrations are deemed hazardous to health. PFAS are contributing to a global chemical pollution crisis.”

Páramo avoids using PFAS by utilising Nikwax, a fabric that mimics animal fur to push water outward. Nonetheless, contamination from other companies’ PFAS use poses challenges for firms moving away from these chemicals. The appeal of PFAS lies in their ability to make fabrics both water and stain resistant, a feature also utilized in nonstick frying pans, fridges, jet engines, and electrical devices. For many companies, eliminating PFAS involves sacrificing a potential selling point.

“The biggest issue for us was not removing PFAS substances from our own processes but rather persuading the fabric mills we work with to do the same, guaranteeing PFAS-free fabrics,” a Páramo spokesperson said. “Since 2016, we have been able to guarantee that every single garment we make is PFAS-free.”

Keen, whose walking boots have been PFAS-free since 2018, said that it “just needed something that was effective at repelling water and dirt” rather than “stains, grease and motor oil”.

Fjällräven said that not making its jackets oil repellent was “a low price to pay. It’s easy to add functionality because it’s nice to have, but every function has a side-effect”.

The Royal Society of Chemistry has urged the next government to establish an agency to regulate PFAS and other substances.

After Brexit, the UK left the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and chemical regulation is now managed by the Health and Safety Executive with support from the Environment Agency. Although the government under Theresa May promised a chemicals strategy in 2018, nothing has been published to date.

 

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