According to a briefing from the European Environment Agency (EEA), reducing the use of Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS), also referred to as forever chemicals, in textile products such as furniture, clothing, and other items is crucial to improving recyclability and facilitating the shift to a more circular economy.
One of the main causes of PFAS pollution in Europe is textiles. A class of extremely persistent compounds known as PFAS is commonly employed to improve durability, waterproofing, and resistance to heat, oil, and filth in a variety of textile-based products, such as carpets, clothes, and other household items.
But they also linger over time and can build up in animals, people, and the environment, raising the possibility of detrimental effects on human health and the ecosystem.
An overview of the potential effects of the ongoing EU procedure to limit the use of PFAS on the potential to recycle and reuse used textiles can be found in the EEA briefing. It is a supplement to work conducted by other EU agencies, such as the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and it is based on a bigger report that was commissioned for the EEA.
The information that is now available indicates that in most different textile categories, there are substitutes for perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). But when it comes to evaluating the technical and financial viability of alternatives, there are either none available or the data is unclear for several kinds of textiles. These consist of several kinds of personal protection equipment meant for firefighters, for instance.
According to the briefing, the use of PFAS in textiles makes it more difficult to recycle, reuse, and engage in other circular economy initiatives to prevent textiles from ending up in landfills or being burned in Europe or abroad.
In addition to switching to sustainable substitutes for newly manufactured textiles, the EEA briefing points out that it is infrequently done in reality to identify and segregate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) toward the end of the life of textiles that are already in use. The majority of textile waste in the EU is currently burned, however it’s not clear if this removes PFAS completely.
The EU must build the capacity to appropriately destroy PFAS at scale, and open burning and uncontrolled landfilling are two outcomes of uncontrolled waste management that should be avoided both in Europe and globally.
