Huge victory in our fight against toxic PFAS, and we’re just getting started >>

 

VICTORY! Columbia Privately Commits to Phasing out Toxic PFAS Chemicals! This is a great first step but until the company makes public reports of its progress, we'll never be able to truly hold them accountable. Sign our petition urging Columbia to be transparent with its plan to phase out dangerous PFAS!  TAKE ACTION  Donate We did it! This Summer, in a massive public pressure campaign, tens of thousands of NRDC activists like you called on Columbia Sportswear to commit to ending the use of toxic PFAS chemicals in its products — and it worked! During its Annual Shareholder Meeting, Columbia's CEO confirmed that the company is working to eliminate the chemical. And just last month, NRDC received a letter from Columbia's sustainability director committing to a goal of phasing out PFAS by the end of 2024! While this is excellent news and a testament to the power of our collective voice, Columbia has denied our request to make its commitments immediately known to the public. If Columbia won't make it's commitment transparent to its consumers, then the company needs to provide the public with regular, quarterly updates on progress towards its goal. Here's where you come in: We're calling on Columbia to commit to regular, public, quarterly reports on the company's progress towards phasing out PFAS in its clothing products by 2024. Sign our petition to CEO Timothy Boyle and help hold the company to its word. We know that PFAS chemicals are bad news: A family of approximately 12,000 synthetic chemicals, PFAS — or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — can cause serious illnesses including liver damage, impact to child development, and cancer, pollute the drinking water supplies for an estimated more than 200 million people in the U.S., and they don't break down in the environment — hence the name "forever" chemicals. These dangerous synthetic chemicals are widely used in the apparel industry. But while NRDC's report and scorecard showed that many leading apparel brands are reducing the use of PFAS, Columbia Sportswear earned an F for its continued use of the toxic chemical in their clothing products. Thankfully, consumers like you flexed your powerful voices and Columbia could ignore our pleas no longer. Now we need your voice to hold Columbia publicly accountable. We can't allow them to renege on their whispered promises. Sign our petition today. We're demanding Columbia Sportswear regularly update the public on its progress toward ending its use of PFAS chemicals by 2024. Our planet and our health can't wait. Thank you for being with us in this fight. Together, we can hold these companies accountable, end the scourge of PFAS on our health, and give our planet a fighting chance. Sincerely, Sujatha Bergen Senior Advocate, People and Communities, NRDC The mission of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.   We appreciate the opportunity to communicate with you and other NRDC Activists. We are committed to protecting your privacy and will never sell, exchange or rent your email address.  About Us | Contact Us | Privacy Policy  NRDC |  40 W 20th St |  New York, NY 10011, | www.nrdc.org

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Toxic chemicals on your clothes and you probably don’t even know it

 

Tell Columbia Sportswear: End the use of Toxic "Forever" Chemicals! Major outdoor brand Columbia Sportswear continues to use a highly toxic and unnecessary chemical called PFAS in its products. PFAS chemicals are associated with serious health risks like liver damage, thyroid disease, and cancer — and when clothing containing these "forever" chemicals are made, washed, and disposed of, those chemicals contaminate our environment and drinking water. Sign our petition urging Columbia Sportswear to end its use of PFAS!  TAKE ACTION

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The clothes you have on right now could contain a dangerous mix of toxic "forever" chemicals, and you wouldn't even know it. That's the threat from PFAS chemicals — a family of approximately 12,000 dangerous synthetic chemicals widely used in the apparel industry to make clothes more water- and stain-resistant. These chemicals can cause serious illnesses including liver damage, impact to child development, and cancer. PFAS also pollute drinking water supplies for an estimated more than 200 million people in the U.S., and don't break down in the environment — earning the name "forever" chemicals. A new report and scorecard from NRDC show that while many leading apparel brands are reducing their use of PFAS, major outdoor apparel company Columbia Sportswear gets an F for continuing to use this highly toxic and pervasive chemical. And it needs to end now. NRDC and its partners are putting Columbia Sportswear on notice, demanding the company change its practices and end its use of PFAS. But consumers like you can play an especially important role in this fight — and we need your help to build a groundswell of public pressure that's too powerful for Columbia to ignore. Send your letter to Columbia CEO Timothy Boyle, demanding the company end its use of toxic PFAS chemicals! PFAS don't breakdown easily in the environment, or when they do, they break down into more PFAS. And when clothes containing PFAS are made, washed, or disposed of, the chemicals contaminate our environment and travel freely into our body through the water we drink, the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the clothes we wear every day. PFAS exposure is linked to severe illnesses such as thyroid disease, liver and kidney damage, reproductive harm, and reduced response to vaccines. And after accumulating in our blood, lungs, kidneys, and other organs, they can take years to be flushed out. It's time to end the use of PFAS in our clothes. Help us build a massive public outcry and demand Columbia Sportswear change its practices for the good of our health and our environment! And here's the kicker about Columbia's refusal to act: PFAS chemicals aren't even needed anymore! Industry leaders are already adopting alternative designs and chemicals that do the same job without the multitude of health risks that are associated with even low levels of exposure to PFAS. Make no mistake: Columbia depends on consumers like you and I to keep the company in business. If enough consumers demand change, they'll have no choice but to phase out these toxic chemicals. That's why it's critical we wage this massive public awareness campaign against the company and demand they stop using PFAS in their products! Add your name to our petition against Columbia Sportswear today, and we'll get it over to Columbia HQ, ensuring your powerful voice is heard loud and clear. Thank you for standing with us. Sincerely, Sujatha Bergen Senior Advocate, People and Communities, NRDC

The mission of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.

We appreciate the opportunity to communicate with you and other NRDC Activists. We are committed to protecting your privacy and will never sell, exchange or rent your email address. About Us | Contact Us | Privacy Policy Natural Resources Defense Council | 40 West 20th Street | New York, NY 10011 | www.nrdc.org