News & Insights

Report triggers new Washington rulemaking to regulate the largest-ever number of chemical classes and products by a state—with 4 chemical classes in 10 product categories Restrictions include phthalates in fragrances, BPA in drink can linings, and PFAS in home textiles, among others Olympia, WA—On Monday, the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) released its final […]

Today, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed into law a groundbreaking bipartisan bill restricting the sale of PFAS “forever chemicals” in consumer products including oil and gas products; carpets or rugs; cosmetics; fabric treatments; food packaging; juvenile products; textile furnishings; and upholstered furniture. While several states have passed legislation to restrict PFAS in certain products, Colorado is the first in the U.S. to include a prohibition on PFAS chemicals in fluids that are used in the extraction of oil and gas products. Colorado is also the first state in the country to pass a state law that explicitly bans the entire class of PFAS in cosmetics, textile furnishings and indoor and outdoor furniture.

The world is waking up to the fact that our current Throw-Away Economy is not compatible with living on a finite planet. Rather than treating people and the planet as disposable, we need to move to a New Reuse Economy where consumer products are delivered in reusable packaging made from justly produced, sustainable and non-toxic materials.

Yesterday, during its annual member meeting, REI leadership failed to commit to phasing out toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” from the products it makes and sells. The company addressed the PFAS problem during the meeting following nationwide public pressure led by Toxic-Free Future’s Mind the Store program, including on its own message board. However, REI’s response did not provide new commitments nor a date or timeline towards phasing out these toxic “forever chemicals.

Today Safer States launched a new resource to help candidates understand how they can be part of the solution by promoting policies that protect communities from toxic threats and create incentives for safer materials.  

Mark Hyland, Board Chair for Defend Our Health, has been an REI member since 1973. PFAS contamination is a huge problem in his home state of Maine where multi-generation dairy farms have closed forever due to this “forever chemical”. He is urging REI to step up to the plate and address PFAS in their products now rather than later.

On Monday, April 25, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) and Representative Dan Kildee (MI-5) introduced the PFAS Firefighter Protection Act in the House and Senate to ban firefighting foams containing “forever chemicals”— PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). The bicameral legislation would prohibit the manufacture, import, and sale of all firefighting foam that contain PFAS for use in training and firefighting within two years of enactment. It would also ban the use of PFAS foams at airports by October 2024.

On Wednesday, Maine Governor Janet Mills signed into law a bipartisan bill, LD 1911, that is the first in the nation to ban the spreading of sludge and sludge-derived compost as fertilizer. Sludge has been the source of widespread contamination from PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), known as “forever chemicals,” forcing family farms to shut down and poisoning drinking water wells of entire communities. The law bans the use of sludge as a soil amendment. 

Today, Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed the first-ever state law (S. 113) that gives individuals the right to seek medical monitoring of diseases linked to toxic chemical exposures from corporate polluters. It would also allow the State of Vermont to sue the companies that make dangerous chemicals for the harm they cause to Vermont’s air, land, water, and public facilities. The law makes Vermont the first state in the nation to place in statute the responsibility of corporate polluters, instead of victims, to pay for medical monitoring for diseases linked to toxic chemical exposure.

Textile certifiers are lagging behind what is happening around the country as states and companies take action to address PFAS in textiles. Safer States, Natural Resources Defense Council, Toxic-Free Future, and nine other environmental organizations from around the country recently sent letters to the major textile certifiers AFIRM, bluesign®, OEKO-TEX® and ZDHC, urging them to update their standards to address the entire class of PFAS.