Are PFAS-Free Coatings Safer than PFAS?

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A couple of weeks ago, I had four separate emails come in all asking about whether the new, PFAS-free coatings applied to couch upholstery are truly safe. Impressive! Thank you for demanding transparency and healthier design! If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, here’s a little background:

For decades, a group of waterproof and stainproof chemicals called PFAS (short for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) were added as a finish to fabrics like couch upholstery, and other home goods, like non-stick pans.

PFAS were first created in the 1940s, and are super-effective and convenient synthetic chemicals, buttttt, it turns out that PFAS are linked with lowered immune function, increased risk of cancer, childhood obesity, reduced fertility, and a host of other health problems. They are also “forever chemicals,” meaning they do not break down in the environment— ever. So, they’re bad for humans and the Earth. Very cool.

Now, many companies have come out with PFAS-Free finishes, also called C0 DWR, to replace them.

Since the world has learned about the detrimental effects of PFAS, manufacturers have been scrambling to find something to replace them, so that furniture upholstery (and other goods) can still be “performance grade”— meaning, they can tolerate water and oil spills— but without the issues that PFAS present. C0 DWR stands for Durable Water Repellant made with zero fluorinated carbon. There are no PFAS, PFOA, or any of the PFCs (Perfluorinated Compounds) in them.

So what is C0 DWR made of?

I don’t know, and neither do most of the companies using fabrics made with it— yet. Furniture companies buy their performance upholstery from fabric suppliers, and fabric suppliers buy C0 DWR from C0 DWR companies, and none of these guys at the top are disclosing their ingredients lists. I do understand why— trade secrets and proprietary information are common when developing new technologies, especially now, when there is a lot of competition to be the best PFAS-free alternative. Crypton Home has a Health Product Declaration for their PFAS free performance fabric, which is generally a good step toward transparency, but ironically, most of the ingredients in the stain repellency part are still undisclosed.

Is plant based stain repellant safe?

Encouragingly, they are plant- or seed-based, OEKO TEX certified, and of course, PFAS-free. But, while I’m all for innovation and healthy competition to create new, healthier products, the lack of more transparency beyond this is causing some to worry about "regrettable substitutions" — and the possibility that in 20 years we'll find out these PFAS-free options are just as bad or worse than PFAS in some unforeseen way. 

Are we being unfairly critical or paranoid?

Potentially. For so many other aspects of fabric processing, which is very chemical-intensive, we are happy to accept “plant based” and “OEKO TEX certified” without demanding specifics. If we are being consistent, then C0 DWR falls very neatly under our usual “sounds ok to me!” criteria. However, humans are great at not being consistent, and I think we are all just on high alert after learning about how bad PFAS are. We want to be sure that their replacement really is as innocent sounding as it is, and are tired of secrecy, even in the name of healthy competition.

What should I do?

Please keep emailing companies and asking, with your rationale. Consumer pressure changes policies. When I received 4 emails in one week, I reached out to Medley (I have their couches listed here) about the plant based PFAS they use, and they called me back quickly. They were not only totally on board, but asked their fabric manufacturers to disclose the ingredients, just without ratios, to protect their fabric formula while still providing transparency for us health-minded consumers. I don’t know if they’ll get a response, but it does send a signal, and continued pressure will, too.

What’s the bottom line? Would you get something upholstered in C0 DWR?

Honestly, yes, I would. I aim to balance the “baby steps”— plant based, PFAS free, OEKO TEX certified is really good! — with demanding more transparency, and I think they can be done at the same time. If you’re feeling more cautious, I recommend using a couch pad or cover to minimize dermal contact, or, you can opt for a couch without performance fabric.

That’s what I know so far! I will continue to update this post as I learn more. Thanks for reading!

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