When we launched the Detox Outdoor campaign in late 2015 our goal was simple: Together with you, the outdoor community and Greenpeace supporters, we wanted to eliminate hazardous PFCs (chemicals used in weatherproofing outdoor gear).
Today, we are sooooo happy to announce that the PFC revolution in the outdoor sector has begun!
Gore Fabrics, the maker of GORE-TEX® products and a major supplier of membranes and coatings to outdoor brands like The North Face and Mammut, has committed to eliminate hazardous PFCs from their product lines!
Gore Fabrics will eliminate hazardous PFCs from its general outdoor weatherproofing laminates by end of 2020 and from its specialised weatherproofing laminates by end of 2023.
This campaign victory belongs to YOU.
Volunteers and outdoor enthusiasts in Stockholm take it all off to protect the outdoors © Greenpeace
Hundreds of thousands of you took action online, questioned which of the major brands are using PFCs and voted for which of your favorite products should be tested.
Hikers, runners, campers, climbers, and skiers co-created activities for the Detox Outdoor week of action! The brands were really feeling the pressure, and some early industry leaders emerged as Paramo, Rotauf and Vaude signed Detox commitments to go PFC free!
To prove the functionality of PFC-free clothing 3 outdoor key opinion leaders summited one of the peak Da Feng of the Four Sister Mountains (5025m) in Sichuan, Mainland China. © Vincent Chan / Greenpeace
You then organised over 150 amazing activities around the world to demand that The North Face, Mammut, Hagläff, Black Yak, and other major brands eliminate hazardous PFCs too.
And many of these brands pressured Gore Fabrics, their main supplier for membranes, to remove hazardous PFCs from their products.
You are AMAZING! When we come together as outdoor lovers, Greenpeace supporters, donors, and volunteers, we can accomplish anything.
Thank you for all your efforts and support, this campaign victory belongs to you!
Edyta Sitko is the engagement lead for the Detox Outdoor Project with Greenpeace East Asia.
Stefan Durrenberger is the online mobilisation lead for the Detox Outdoor Project with Greenpeace Switzerland.