WHY IS PFC COMPOUND GETTING SO MUCH ATTENTION?
PFCs (Perfluorinated chemicals) have been used around the world since the 50s, from household to cosmetics they can possibly be found in a variety of commonly used products. That is why they are often referred to as “everywhere chemicals” and “forever chemicals”, due to the extremely resistant nature of their chemical structure, which makes them hard to break down in nature, as well as posing threat to the environment, humans and animal health. It is now mandatory to implement strict control of the production, distribution and disposal of products made with these classes of compounds from many countries.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency started a campaign in 2021 to phase-out these materials, in order to reduce the contamination of the environment, which directly returns to human and animals in form of food. PFAS Strategic Roadmap: EPA’s Commitments to Action 2021-2024 | US EPA
PFCs are also referred to as Perfluoroalkyl. While PFAS as Polyfluoroalkyl, a class of compounds to which PFOS or PFOA also belongs to. They contain a strong carbon-fluorine bond that allows them to accumulate over time in the environment and in the bodies of animals and humans, posing health risks.
They are indeed classified as long-chain compounds, also known as C8, where C stands for carbon chain and 8 or more, for the number of carbon molecules contained in their chemical link, which make them extremely resistant to break down in nature and classified as possibly carcinogenic and endocrine disruptive to humans. Short-chain PFCs compounds C6, have a shorter carbon chain structure, where 6 stands for the number of molecules present in the chemical link. Even if they break down faster than long-chain C8 – they can still cause harm to human health.
HUNG YEN K&D PFC-FREE DWR FABRICS
When we talk about PFCs in the textile industry, we are mostly referring to personal protective clothing and outdoor gear, where waterproof, oilproof, flame retardants or insulating properties are required to perform at high protection levels. Hung Yen K&D fabrics do not belong to this category of products, with different type of water-repellent treatments and different levels of performance required. In fact, we declare our DRW – Durable Water Repellent treatment as PFC-Free chemical.
PFC- Free durable water-repellent (DWR) don’t use short-chain C6 or long-chain C8 PFCs compounds in their chemical composition. They can be plant-based, wax-based or silicon-based, depending on the producer, which means C0, 100% PFC-Free.
Our fabrics OekoTex Standard 100 certified since 2009, which means we comply with the assessment of the highest and most authoritative international organization in the industry, which verifies and certifies the safety of textile products and the absence of hazardous substances that can pose any risk for human health. With the highest level of certification’s – Class I – of the Standard, our fabrics are suitable even for baby product’s destinations.
Follow into the ethical vision and environmental protection commitment endorsed by Carvico Group. we are also partner of the ZDHC Roadmap to Zero program since 2017, which aims to lead the industry into a new era of sustainable development, thanks to the transparent contribution an example of companies like Hung Yen Knitting & Dyeing. According to the latest MRLS guidelines, all members will be tested for PFCs substances starting from 2023.
However, considering the increasing number of concerns and questions we are collecting from different sources – due to the lack of clear information accessible to who is not strictly a technical expert – we decided to contribute with an even more ensuring policy, starting this year to perform independent tests, to clear any doubt on the safety of our fabrics in relation to this sensitive topic.
We invite our customers to get in contact with Hung Yen Sales Team for further information.
Hung Yen Knitting & Dyeing Team
