Wet-weather kit is about to change as EU ban on ‘forever chemicals’ looms
The magic ingredient that makes water bead off your rain jacket is set to be outlawed. The European Chemicals Agency has just started a six-month evaluation of a proposal to restrict around 10,000 perand polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), aka ‘forever chemicals’.
The substances, which in the past were also referred to as PFCs (perfluorinated chemicals), are sold by chemical companies for application to paper and textiles as water-repellent, stain-resistant and grease-proofing treatments.
However, scientific research has discovered links between exposure to PFAS and health problems including cancer, increased cholesterol levels, liver damage, reduced fertility, increased risk of thyroid disease and pregnancyinduced hypertension.
They are known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they are “very persistent in the environment” according to the European Chemicals Agency, which estimates that unless action is taken around 4.4 million tonnes of PFAS would end up in the environment over the next 30 years.
The US is ahead of Europe, with laws already giving state agencies the authority to ban PFAS in a wide range of consumer goods. The UK lags behind the US and Europe with just two PFAS regulated out of the thousands the EU is set to ban.
Big brands
The issue came to the attention of the wider cycling world when Gore announced at the end of 2022 that it would be phasing out its revolutionary Shakedry fabric – though the brand claims this is due to “supply issues”.
With Shakedry also used by major cycling apparel brands including Rapha and Castelli, the race is on to replace what is regarded by many as the gold standard in lightweight, waterproof fabrics (in performance if not environmental terms).
Rival fabric brand Polartec claims it has the answer with its Power Shield “bio-based weather protection” which, it says, is made from a combination of plant-based and non-PFAS materials and achieves “an industry-leading combination of waterproofness, breathability, durability and stretch.”
Polartec claims Power Shield outperforms its breathable and waterproof technologies and in its comparison chart puts it on a par with PTFE systems (as used by Gore-Tex and containing PFAS) while it’s superior to Shakedry-style fabrics in its stretchability.
One major European cycling apparel manufacturer was due to launch a new range in partnership with Polartec Power Shield but has put it on hold while the EU’s consultation takes place, presumably in order to launch it with a bigger impact once the European ban on PFAS is announced.
One possible area where Power Shield may not outdo Shakedry is in the former’s use of a durable water-repellent coating (DWR). Since
