Individual & organization Pledge

 
 

Consumers: Take the Pledge to take action to eliminate PFAS use and sale.

PFAS has exploded onto the marketplace in hundreds of consumer products ranging from rain jackets and stain resistant clothing to printed textiles. Studies are increasingly linking PFAS to a range of adverse health and environmental effects and The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cites that PFAS can stay in the body for long periods, causing reproductive and developmental issues, liver and kidney damage, and adverse immunological effects. 

Fashion FWD and NRDC’s PFAS-Free Apparel Pledge recognizes that consumers are a powerful lever to drive PFAS elimination, which is why we designed this pledge to provide the necessary steps to drive change and informed leadership. 

By signing this pledge, I recognize that:

  • PFAS can both release toxins into local waterways and surrounding communities. 

  • When PFAS-treated clothing is disposed of, and ultimately ends up in a landfill, PFAS can leach into soil, and nearby groundwater and waterways; if incinerated, PFAS can pollute the air, eventually settling on the ground where it can also make its way into groundwater and international waterways.

  • The use of PFAS exposes humans and the environment globally and is linked to cancer, liver and kidney harm and damage to the immune system.

  • PFAS can be shed from clothing, and enter our bodies from air and dust when we breathe. They can also be ingested by touching contaminated surfaces. The chemicals can then accumulate and take years to leave the body.

Therefore, as a consumer and/or organization concerned about the threat PFAS poses to me, my family, friends, our community, as well as the environment, I/we pledge to:

  • Choose brands that have committed to not using PFAS in their products. Visit our scorecard (include link) to learn which brands are leaders and which are laggards. 

  • Use NRDC’s Consumer Labeling Guide to be a PFAS detective and seek alternatives. After using the guide, if you suspect PFAS is used in a product you’d like to buy, or you can’t tell if it is - call, or write the retailer and ask if the product contains PFAS.  Stay away from products that contain PFAS. 

  • Learn more about the dangers of PFAS and tell your friends and family about their dangers. 

  • Lead your municipality, institution or company to not buy products with PFAS and support broader elimination. 

  • Contact state and federal policymakers to ban PFAS in apparel and their favorite brands and retailers to phase out PFAS and adopt safer alternatives.  


For further questions or help making this pledge, please contact alexandra@fashionfwd.org.