Yesterday, leading outdoor retailer REI announced it will ban PFAS "forever chemicals" in all textile products and cookware from its suppliers, in a major update to its “Product Impact Standards” for its 1,000+ brand partners. REI’s new policy commitment comes more than a year after the launch of the nationwide marketplace campaign, REI, time to “opt-out” of PFAS, led by the Mind the Store program of Toxic-Free Future in partnership with Safer States and other organizations. REI’s announcement also comes after numerous states have taken regulatory action on PFAS in apparel and cookware.

PORTLAND, OR—Yesterday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a first in the nation groundbreaking bill (AB 1817) that explicitly bans the use of PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances), also known as “forever chemicals,” in many textiles. 

Walmart recently published an update to its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) website stating that, between 2017 to 2020, it achieved a 17% reduction in its footprint of “priority chemicals,” which equates to the removal of 36.5 million pounds of toxic chemicals from private-label and brand-name cosmetics, personal care, household cleaners, and formulated baby care products in the U.S. As the first major U.S. retailer to have announced a broad time-bound chemical footprint reduction goal, the 17% reduction in three years exceeds its original goal of 10% in five years.

On Tuesday, July 5, Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee signed into law a policy that bans toxic chemicals known as PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in all types of food packaging by 2024. In addition to becoming the 11th state to ban PFAS from food packaging, this policy requires food packaging solutions to be less hazardous and targets PFAS chemicals used in the production of food packaging, not just the food packaging material itself. Rhode Island’s policy will also restrict PFAS and heavy metals in recycled content food packaging starting in July 2027. 

On Wednesday, June 8, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed into law a first-in-the-nation policy that prohibits the disposal by incineration of PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that are listed in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxic Release Inventory. This includes, but is not strictly limited to, PFAS substances that are often found in aqueous film-forming foam, otherwise known as firefighting foam. In 2020, New York adopted a similar law that banned the incineration of PFAS-containing firefighting foams at a specific facility, but Illinois is the first to issue a statewide ban on incinerating certain PFAS. 

Today, the Keep Food Containers Safe From PFAS Act was passed as an amendment to the FDA Safety and Landmark Advancements (FDASLA) Act of 2022 on a bipartisan vote (13-9) in the Senate Committee on Health Education Labor and Pensions (HELP). The amendment, which will ban the use of PFAS (perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances) in food packaging, was offered by Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) with the support of Senator Murkowski (R-AK).