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In the close to future, REI will solely promote merchandise which might be solely freed from PFAS, the dangerous class of chemical compounds. That’s the information from the Washington-based retailer, which introduced Tuesday new product requirements for itself and its thousand-plus model companions.
REI’s new guidelines would require its suppliers to chop all per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from all cookware, attire, footwear, packs, and comparable gear. It’s a deliberate phase-out of all remaining merchandise with the chemical compounds. Its deadline? Fall 2024.
That’s along with REI’s current PFAS restrictions, which ended the sale of drugs containing long-chain PFAS, and banned the chemical compounds solely in ski wax and clothes therapies.
Suppliers of “all remaining textile products” in its retail line — gadgets like heavy-duty rain jackets — could have till 2026 to section out the chemical compounds.
PFAS embrace over 9,000 human-made chemical compounds with nonstick and water-repellent properties that’s widespread in client merchandise. A variety of outside clothes, pots and pans, and firefighting foam all include PFAS. Also known as “forever chemicals,” they gained’t break down naturally. Studies have detected PFAS within the bloodstream of 97 p.c of Americans, and wild animal species all around the planet.
The broader well being implications PFAS introduce are nonetheless underneath debate. But research have already linked the chemical compounds to many well being issues, together with most cancers and liver harm.
REI’s Product Standards: The Details
REI first launched its Product Standards mannequin in 2018 as a self-audit of its environmental impacts. With a 2020 replace, the corporate stated it needed to deal with its companion manufacturers’ “carbon reduction, inclusive marketing practices and cultural designs in the products they make and sell to REI.”
In addition to “alignment” with state legal guidelines that more and more prohibit PFAS, updates to the corporate’s requirements this yr embrace:
- Elevated expectations requiring manufacturers to measure their greenhouse fuel emissions and set targets for emissions discount. (REI has set its personal emissions discount goal through the Science Based Targets initiative.)
- New expectations to advance fairness throughout merchandise, like value fairness throughout measurement ranges and inclusive sizing.
To assist its model companions meet the brand new guidelines, REI will present “resources and engagement opportunities” in help. Workshops, steerage documentation, partnerships with the Outdoor Industry Association’s Climate Action Corps, “and more” are on the desk.
“The standards keep the co-op and over 1,000 of our brand partners accountable,” REI Vice President of Product Chris Speyer stated. “The products we carry represent our greatest opportunities to support better ways of doing business. We want our members and customers to know the products they purchase at REI are helping to build a better retail industry.”
REI is the largest client co-op within the US, with 21.5 million members. REI operates 181 shops in 42 states and the District of Columbia.