Textile Insight

California, Colorado, Maine, and New York have recently passed laws barring use of "intentionally added" or "regulated" PFAS in textiles. New York and California target apparel, but California also takes aim at accessories, furnishings, and upholstery. Colorado targets carpets, rugs, fabric treatments, textile furnishings, and upholstered furniture, and Maine targets new carpets, rugs, and fabric treatments. Lawmakers aren't the only ones putting companies on notice that using PFAS in products is no longer acceptable. Consumers and environmental watchdogs are also on the case. In April 2022, CoPIRG Foundation, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Fashion FWD released a scorecard that ranked retail and apparel brands on their commitments to eliminating PFAS from their products. (e scorecard gave Columbia Sportswear an F and the NRDC engaged in a public campaign to pressure the company to commit to phasing out use of PFAS. In response, Columbia privately committed to phase out PFAS usage by 2024.) Retailers are also taking action. REI announced in February that it will no longer sell textile products and cookware with PFAS in the fall of 2024. e outdoor co-op said it will expand the ban to expedition-level apparel in the fall of 2026. e decision was in response to a nationwide campaign, led by Toxic-Free Future's Mind the Store program, in which people and organizations urged REI to ban PFAS in products it sells, via letters, petitions, rallies, and social media. More than 155,000 REI members and advocates signed the petition. "We are so pleased that REI has finally listened to its members. No one's drinking water should be polluted for a raincoat," said Mike Schade, director of the Mind the Store program. n T he demand for functionalized textiles is rising. According to Acumen Research and Consulting, the global functional apparel market size is expected to reach $550 billion by 2027, with growth driven by increased demand for activewear and protective clothing for health care workers, firefighters, and military personnel. The challenge now for textile providers is how to meet demand but with functional fabrics that don't have harmful chemicals. A novel technology created at the University of Minnesota promises to provide all the performance consumers have grown to expect without compromising waterways and drinking water. "We set out to develop technology that provides even better functionality for textiles and that works in a circular economy," said John Brockgreitens, vice president of research and development for Claros Technologies, which commercialized the Crescoating technology, born at the University of Minnesota, that functionalizes textiles without the use of toxic chemicals. The novel technology was developed in a bionanotechnology l a b or at or y t h at i n c or p or at e s m a ny disciplines, including materials sciences, biosystems engineering, biotechnology, chemistry, and environmental science. Making a Good Technology Even Better Brockgreitens said the team saw metal and metal-oxide nanoparticles as one of the most promising approaches for the development of next-generation functional textiles. e problem is common methods of incorporating nanoparticles into textiles — spraying of a nanoparticle solution, layer-by-layer deposition with polymers or polyelectrolytes, sonochemical coating, plasma deposition, and electrospinning — are highly subject to leaching from abrasion and laundering, said Brockgreitens, leading to decreases in product durability Functionality Toxic-Free Creating Fibers with Specialized Properties that Don't Wash Out. By Amy Phillips TECHNOLOGY / PERFORMANCE Performance Without PFAS Andrew Gonzalez, an engineering consultant, functional materials for Claros Technologies, func- tionalizes textiles using the Crescoating process. 48 • Textile Insight ~ Spring 2023 textileinsight.com

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