Moving Away from PFAS: New Materials for Outdoor Clothing and Gear

Rain jackets, tents, and backpacks are designed to keep water out and remain functional for as long as possible. For many years, the outdoor industry used PFAS to achieve such properties, for example in water-repellent finishes. Manufacturers are now looking for alternatives and are changing materials, coatings, and production processes accordingly.

German outdoor manufacturer VAUDE states that it has not used PFAS in its apparel since 2021. The last remaining tents have now also been converted accordingly. The company describes the transition as a multi-year development process in which materials were reselected and solutions repeatedly tested.

Moving away from PFAS does not affect only individual chemicals. Fabrics, coatings, membranes, and finishes also have to be coordinated with one another in new ways.

Patagonia has also implemented the transition gradually. According to the company, since 2025 all membranes and water-repellent finishes have been manufactured without the use of PFAS. Patagonia introduced its first modified water-repellent finishes of this kind as early as 2019.

Fjällräven began moving away from PFAS even earlier. According to information from Globetrotter, the brand has been using solutions without PFAS since 2015. At the same time, this also illustrates why definitive statements such as “100 percent PFAS-free” can be problematic: Traces originating from production processes or supply chains cannot always be completely ruled out.

The examples show different timelines but a common direction. The central question is how functions that were previously achieved with fluorinated chemistry can be realized using other materials and coating systems.

In waterproof outdoor clothing, a thin membrane in the fabric often helps keep rain out while allowing moisture to escape. More background on the development of waterproof clothing can be found in Plastics in Action: The Invention of Rainwear. A newer generation of GORE-TEX membranes uses ePE, or expanded polyethylene. Polyethylene is a widely used plastic that is processed into a very thin, porous membrane for this purpose.

The corresponding products are manufactured without intentionally added PFAS. However, because it cannot always be ruled out that trace amounts of PFAS may be present, the wording “100 percent PFAS-free” should be avoided.

For the plastics and rubber industry, this development is also interesting beyond the outdoor sector. It shows how changing requirements for chemicals and materials can affect polymer selection, coatings, processing, and product design. The handling of fluorinated polymers in recycling is also a relevant topic for the industry. More on this topic: Fluorinated Polymers for the Circular Economy.