PFAS AND DWR TREATMENTS

One of Helly Hansen’s major focus areas is to prevent leakage of chemicals into the environment and our waters.

We have paid a lot of attention to PFAS chemistry over the last eight years. Traditionally, PFAS chemistry is applied in order to achieve oil and water repellency on fabric surfaces. However, this has been proven harmful for nature and living organisms, so we are therefore phasing out PFAS chemicals from our products. Helly Hansen is in close cooperation with research institutes and chemical suppliers of PFAS-free DWR (dirt and water repellent) treatments.

Helly Hansen’s focus when replacing PFAS is the assurance of durability and the environmental profile of the substitute. Thanks to the industry’s dedication to phasing out PFAS and heavy R&D work, we are now starting to see PFAS-free treatments which are up to standard and can replace the PFAS chemistry.

FURTHER CHALLENGES

The main obstacle to overcome when phasing out PFAS from our materials is the excellent performance of PFAS. There is still no alternative chemistry that can supply as low surface tension as PFAS can do, which means we still cannot provide fabrics that are PFAS-free and at the same time oil repellent. For workwear fabrics that are often exposed to oil and dirt, we will be dependent on PFAS for a bit longer.

PFAS-free DWR

For other fabrics, where water repellency is more important than oil repellency, we have seen alternatives on the market for a few years. The challenge here has rather been the durability of the treatment. The 1st and 2nd generations of PFAS-free treatments were performing well in initial performance tests, but the treatments were not durable enough for either washing or extended wear. We are not compromising on quality, so whilst our R&D efforts carry on, we will continue to use PFAS chemistry if it’s the only solution viable to meet our performance needs. We have over 70% of our sports apparel in PFAS-free DWR and we aim to have a 100% PFAS-free inline collection by 2023.

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LIFA INFINITY PRO™

The next level of responsible waterproof/breathable technology. Learn about the innovative technology that provides everlasting water protection without the use of chemical treatments.

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