Ternua Reveals New PFC-Free Collection

Date: October 30, 2018

Author: Mondragon/Innovation in Textiles

Spanish outdoor brand Ternua has removed PFCs from its textiles, marking it with the release of the new Autumn/Winter 2018-2019 collection, fulfilling the challenge it set out to achieve in 2009. “We are a small brand and every change takes a lot of effort. We have had to search, research and contact many suppliers to continue offering the same technology but in an environmentally-friendly way,” said Edu Uribesalgo, Ternua’s director of Innovation and Sustainability.

“We also wanted to continue working with top fabric brands but due to their larger size, they were slower than us in this regard. We have been incorporating new fabrics, perhaps not as well-known as others, but with the technical level that we need, so they were aligned with us being PFC-free. We have also been doing a lot of work with top brands to accelerate their processes of elimination of harmful substances in their water repellency finishes. Finally, we adopted them and, most importantly, did in a short period of time.”

PFCs, or fluorocarbons, are substances used in many industrial processes and consumer goods. They are particularly well-known for their use in the outdoor clothing industry in waterproof and dirt repellent finishes. They are used for their unique chemical properties, for their stability and their water- and oil-repellent properties.

In 2009, Ternua began to take steps towards eliminating PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) / PFOS (perfluoro octane sulfonate) from its water repellent finishes, but it was in 2015 that it completely eliminated PFOA / PFOS from its products, it says. A year later, 80% of its garments were already PFC free. “Today we can say that 100% of our textile collection for winter 2018 is treated with fluorocarbon-free water-repellency treatments,” the brand states.

For the next Spring/Summer 2019 collection, the brand will launch a collection of backpacks and travel accessories made with recycled fabrics, also PFC-free. The next steps, therefore, focus on a 100% PFC-free textile and accessories collection that is also made with recycled, environmentally friendly materials.