Fashion for Good is developing a benchmark to assess the performance and safety of the latest alternatives to forever chemicals, as the industry continues its elusive search for a more sustainable way to make materials water- and oil-repellant.
Called Project DW(O)R-X, the project will benchmark nine alternative solutions for their performance, environmental impact, and cost—all within a framework that is designed to better reflect their real-world use, Fashion for Good said in a statement.
This is a multi-stakeholder undertaking, which includes sportswear giant Adidas, European fast fashion retailer C&A and Daikin Chemical Group, among other project partners. Together, they will look to come up with a point of reference that the fashion industry can use when exploring safer alternatives.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been found in various consumer products from nonstick pans and outerwear gear to fast food packaging and cosmetic products. These man-made chemicals make materials waterproof, grease-proof, stick-proof, and stain-resistant.
As practical as they are for these applications, these forever chemicals are harmful to both humans and the environment, with studies strongly linking them to certain cancers and other medical conditions. They have also been found in humans and tap water. These chemicals can take thousands of years to naturally break down, hence the moniker.
Phasing out PFAS is already difficult. Ultimately, the project wants to make sure that they will not be replaced with alternatives that are just as bad.
“The challenge for the whole industry isn’t just phasing out PFAS: it’s ensuring we don’t replace it with something equally concerning that we understand less well,” said Katrin Ley, managing director at Fashion for Good. “Right now, brands and mills are navigating this transition without updated benchmarks to compare these alternatives.”
Governments across the world have been responding to the prevalence of forever chemicals, with certain countries being more aggressive with their bans than others. The European Union, for example, is mulling a bloc-wide ban, although countries such as Denmark and France have already gone ahead. On other hand, the U.S., which does not have a federal ban, is moving to roll back or weaken key protections under Trump’s second term, although some states such as Maine have iniated their own PFAS bans.
Replacing forever chemicals is harder than it seems. In the first place, Fashion for Good said the available alternatives right now often do not have the same level of repellency and long-term durability as PFAS-finished chemicals. Moreover, the existing benchmarks are outdated and fragmented, riddled with protocols that do not reflect real-world use.
Other project partners include manufacturing partners Shahi Exports, Paradise Textiles, Positive Materials and Wujiang Fuhua Fabric Co., alongside technology providers Archroma, Dow, Dryfiber, Jintex, Lamoral Coatings, Pulcra Chemicals, Rudolf, and vandeyk.tech. Performance testing will be conducted by SGS.
