Coalition calls on REI to remove PFAS from their clothing and gear

MASSPIRG joined with Clean Water Action, MA Sierra Club, Nantucket PFAS Action Group and others calling for REI to remove PFAS from their clothing and gear in a letter delivered to their store in Boston.

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ) are a class of chemicals that make things non-stick, stain resistant, and waterproof.  Unfortunately, PFAS can be toxic at very low levels, increasing risk of cancer, immunosuppression, birth defects, colitis, and other diseases.

As we keep making, using and discarding products with PFAS, these chemicals keep building up, in the environment, our water and our bodies.

As a result of the pervasive use of PFAS, these chemicals have already contaminated the drinking water of millions of Americans including hundreds of thousands in Massachusetts. In fact,  159 public water systems in 85 Massachusetts cities and towns—from the Berkshires to the Cape—have tested above the Maximum Containment Level (MCL)  of PFAS in their drinking water.

Despite largely catering to a customer base that is concerned about environmental and public health issues, REI is failing to protect the public and the environment by continuing their use of PFAS in their products.

In April MASSPIRG released a scorecard grading popular apparel brands on their commitments to avoiding PFAS.