For all the headlines you read about how important it is to make more sustainable choices when we shop, the reality is that customers aren’t well-equipped to compare products and determine which one is objectively ‘more’ sustainable. Greenwashing makes it even harder to muddle through, which is why the European Union outlawed the practice last year. While there may be a passionate few who send emails to their favorite brands and lobby for more environmental options, consumers are not the ones pushing brands to make a difference. It’s government compliance and vendor preferences, like REI’s, that make the biggest difference.
If this is important to you, contacting your local representative is the best way to get involved. In the United States, PFAS bans are moving more quickly at the state level than the federal one. It’s a move that is unprecedented in the world of politics. In Europe, the EU previously committed to restricting the use of forever chemicals but seems to have abandoned legislative language that would achieve it, according to The Guardian.
Ultimately, adventure-ready gear is a small slice of the PFAS pie. In the absence of full-out government restrictions, being aware of the problem, and working to avoid purchasing new products that contain them, is one small way for us to help protect the places we love—and the people and animals who live there, too.
