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What comes after PFAS?

As you start thinking of the next season’s autumn raincoat, we want to draw your attention to the messy, necessary work of replacing “forever chemicals” in the clothes we wear.

Our offices are in Amsterdam, where a good rain jacket isn’t a luxury item or a piece of technical kit reserved for the mountains: it’s really just basic equipment. That’s the work of a finish most people have no reason to notice. And yet we rarely stop to think about why the water beads on the surface instead of soaking through. Until recently, almost all of those finishes were made with a class of chemicals called PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, if you want the full name – “forever chemicals,” if you’ve seen the headlines. They’ve been used for decades in apparel and footwear because they do something difficult and extremely useful: repel both water and oil, reliably, for a long time. Very little else does it as well.
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Black is finally getting its sustainability moment

As you start thinking of the next season’s autumn raincoat, we want to draw your attention to the messy, necessary work of replacing “forever chemicals” in the clothes we wear.

Our offices are in Amsterdam, where a good rain jacket isn’t a luxury item or a piece of technical kit reserved for the mountains: it’s really just basic equipment. That’s the work of a finish most people have no reason to notice. And yet we rarely stop to think about why the water beads on the surface instead of soaking through. Until recently, almost all of those finishes were made with a class of chemicals called PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, if you want the full name – “forever chemicals,” if you’ve seen the headlines. They’ve been used for decades in apparel and footwear because they do something difficult and extremely useful: repel both water and oil, reliably, for a long time. Very little else does it as well.
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Moving Beyond PFAS: Fashion for Good Launches a New Project to Navigate the Emerging Landscape of PFAS-free Finishes

As you start thinking of the next season’s autumn raincoat, we want to draw your attention to the messy, necessary work of replacing “forever chemicals” in the clothes we wear.

Our offices are in Amsterdam, where a good rain jacket isn’t a luxury item or a piece of technical kit reserved for the mountains: it’s really just basic equipment. That’s the work of a finish most people have no reason to notice. And yet we rarely stop to think about why the water beads on the surface instead of soaking through. Until recently, almost all of those finishes were made with a class of chemicals called PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, if you want the full name – “forever chemicals,” if you’ve seen the headlines. They’ve been used for decades in apparel and footwear because they do something difficult and extremely useful: repel both water and oil, reliably, for a long time. Very little else does it as well.
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Fibre52

As you start thinking of the next season’s autumn raincoat, we want to draw your attention to the messy, necessary work of replacing “forever chemicals” in the clothes we wear.

Our offices are in Amsterdam, where a good rain jacket isn’t a luxury item or a piece of technical kit reserved for the mountains: it’s really just basic equipment. That’s the work of a finish most people have no reason to notice. And yet we rarely stop to think about why the water beads on the surface instead of soaking through. Until recently, almost all of those finishes were made with a class of chemicals called PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, if you want the full name – “forever chemicals,” if you’ve seen the headlines. They’ve been used for decades in apparel and footwear because they do something difficult and extremely useful: repel both water and oil, reliably, for a long time. Very little else does it as well.

Technology

TRL: 8

Fibre52: Chemical and enzymatic pretreatment chemistry

Step:

Pretreatment

Applications:

Raw Material:

 Cellulosics

Construction:

 Knit

 Woven

 Non-Woven

 Raw Fiber

 

Replacement for:

 Traditional cellulosic pretreatment systems

Fibre52’s patented Prepare for Dye (PFD), and dyeing process is designed to optimise time, water, and electricity usage, while improving dyeability and quality. This method enables cotton preparation using existing machinery without the need for harsh chemicals. The biochemistries in Fibre52 remove impurities while preserving cotton’s softness, resilience, and breathability. Implementing the Fibre52 PFD and dye process reduces effluent, water, and energy consumption, while maintaining quality standards. The chemistry is ZDHC certified, ensuring compliance with environmental safety standards.

Savings

  • 2- 25 %
    Water
  • 15- 23 %
    Electricity
  • 15- 30 %
    Steam
  • 21- 37 %
    GHG*

Assessment Details

Substrate Tested:

Raw Material:

 Cotton

Construction:

 Knit

Benchmarks:

 Conventional pretreatment with Caustic & Peroxide (including neutralising and dyeing)

 

Location: India

Scope:

 Pretreatment (Including neutralisation & washing)

 

Scope

Results

Key Findings:

  • The process is easily transferable and fully compatible with existing machinery without requiring significant changes to existing dye recipes or machinery or additional capex investment.
  • May face challenges with immature fibres and seed particles in carded cotton yarns compared to combed cotton. Additionally, dyeability can be impacted for heavier jerseys and double jerseys due to material construction.
  • Results can vary depending on dye types, fabric construction, and dyeing processes, usually requiring some recipe optimisation with mills.

 

Performance: Process is consistently repeatable, reliable, and effective across all shades. Maintains quality and natural characteristics of cotton.

See full assessment results

Technology Maturity

  • LAB

  • DEMO

  • PRE INDUSTRIAL

  • INDUSTRIAL

Current Implementations

Countries: 3

Implementations: 7

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Sourcing Journal Exclusive: Arvind, Fashion for Good’s ‘Near-Carbon-Neutral’ Factory Initiative Seeks to Break Industry Paralysis

As you start thinking of the next season’s autumn raincoat, we want to draw your attention to the messy, necessary work of replacing “forever chemicals” in the clothes we wear.

Our offices are in Amsterdam, where a good rain jacket isn’t a luxury item or a piece of technical kit reserved for the mountains: it’s really just basic equipment. That’s the work of a finish most people have no reason to notice. And yet we rarely stop to think about why the water beads on the surface instead of soaking through. Until recently, almost all of those finishes were made with a class of chemicals called PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, if you want the full name – “forever chemicals,” if you’ve seen the headlines. They’ve been used for decades in apparel and footwear because they do something difficult and extremely useful: repel both water and oil, reliably, for a long time. Very little else does it as well.
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What Happens When Fashion Learns from Nature?

As you start thinking of the next season’s autumn raincoat, we want to draw your attention to the messy, necessary work of replacing “forever chemicals” in the clothes we wear.

Our offices are in Amsterdam, where a good rain jacket isn’t a luxury item or a piece of technical kit reserved for the mountains: it’s really just basic equipment. That’s the work of a finish most people have no reason to notice. And yet we rarely stop to think about why the water beads on the surface instead of soaking through. Until recently, almost all of those finishes were made with a class of chemicals called PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, if you want the full name – “forever chemicals,” if you’ve seen the headlines. They’ve been used for decades in apparel and footwear because they do something difficult and extremely useful: repel both water and oil, reliably, for a long time. Very little else does it as well.
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Mass Balance Attribution: Never heard of it?

As you start thinking of the next season’s autumn raincoat, we want to draw your attention to the messy, necessary work of replacing “forever chemicals” in the clothes we wear.

Our offices are in Amsterdam, where a good rain jacket isn’t a luxury item or a piece of technical kit reserved for the mountains: it’s really just basic equipment. That’s the work of a finish most people have no reason to notice. And yet we rarely stop to think about why the water beads on the surface instead of soaking through. Until recently, almost all of those finishes were made with a class of chemicals called PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, if you want the full name – “forever chemicals,” if you’ve seen the headlines. They’ve been used for decades in apparel and footwear because they do something difficult and extremely useful: repel both water and oil, reliably, for a long time. Very little else does it as well.
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Textile Processing Guide: Pretreatment, Colouration and Finishing

As you start thinking of the next season’s autumn raincoat, we want to draw your attention to the messy, necessary work of replacing “forever chemicals” in the clothes we wear.

Our offices are in Amsterdam, where a good rain jacket isn’t a luxury item or a piece of technical kit reserved for the mountains: it’s really just basic equipment. That’s the work of a finish most people have no reason to notice. And yet we rarely stop to think about why the water beads on the surface instead of soaking through. Until recently, almost all of those finishes were made with a class of chemicals called PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, if you want the full name – “forever chemicals,” if you’ve seen the headlines. They’ve been used for decades in apparel and footwear because they do something difficult and extremely useful: repel both water and oil, reliably, for a long time. Very little else does it as well.
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Rethinking Denim: Designing Change From Fibre To Finish

As you start thinking of the next season’s autumn raincoat, we want to draw your attention to the messy, necessary work of replacing “forever chemicals” in the clothes we wear.

Our offices are in Amsterdam, where a good rain jacket isn’t a luxury item or a piece of technical kit reserved for the mountains: it’s really just basic equipment. That’s the work of a finish most people have no reason to notice. And yet we rarely stop to think about why the water beads on the surface instead of soaking through. Until recently, almost all of those finishes were made with a class of chemicals called PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, if you want the full name – “forever chemicals,” if you’ve seen the headlines. They’ve been used for decades in apparel and footwear because they do something difficult and extremely useful: repel both water and oil, reliably, for a long time. Very little else does it as well.
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What is impact and why does it matter?

As you start thinking of the next season’s autumn raincoat, we want to draw your attention to the messy, necessary work of replacing “forever chemicals” in the clothes we wear.

Our offices are in Amsterdam, where a good rain jacket isn’t a luxury item or a piece of technical kit reserved for the mountains: it’s really just basic equipment. That’s the work of a finish most people have no reason to notice. And yet we rarely stop to think about why the water beads on the surface instead of soaking through. Until recently, almost all of those finishes were made with a class of chemicals called PFAS. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, if you want the full name – “forever chemicals,” if you’ve seen the headlines. They’ve been used for decades in apparel and footwear because they do something difficult and extremely useful: repel both water and oil, reliably, for a long time. Very little else does it as well.