Fluorinated DWR
Fluorinated DWR (durable water repellent) finishes help keep garments dry but contain environmentally harmful components.
Why
Our durable water repellent (DWR) finish is a coating that is added to the fabric of our waterproof/weatherproof garments to help moisture bead up and roll off the outer surface. This finish prevents the fabric from becoming soaked from the outside and prevents you from becoming cold, clammy or wet, which could be life-threatening in extreme conditions.
Where We Are
Fluorinated DWR finish is a functional coating that contains perfluorinated chemicals, usuallyabbreviated as PFAS. The outdoor industry has long relied on these “forever chemicals”to make garments water-resistant, but they’re nonbiodegradable compounds with a highenvironmental cost. These chemistries are extremely effective at repelling water, but becauseof their impact, we are in the process of making all of our membranes and water-repellentfinishes withoutintentionally added PFAS by 2025. (PFAS, which stands for per-andpolyfluoroalkyl substances, is the latest terminology to encompass this wide class of chemicals. At Patagonia, if your water-repellent finishes and membranes are made without intentionally added PFAS, they’re also made without intentionally added PFCs, PFOS and PFOAs.
What’s Next
By Spring 2024, about 96% of our weather-and waterprooffabricsby weightthat include DWRmembranes and finishes willbe made withoutPFAS.For critical DWR applications, like a rainjacket you’d wear for 24 hours, wedon’tyet have a DWR solution that meets the functionalneeds of these garments.But thebrightest chemists are helping us find a solution for thoseremaining products.
