Is Your Rain Jacket Harming the Planet? Patagonia Has the Fix

Is your rain jacket killing the planet? Patagonia has a solution

Brooke Nolan 24.01.2025

As a company that equips people with the gear to get out in nature, Patagonia has a special perspective on the importance of the natural world and the need to protect it. So, when they realised that their waterproof gear contained harmful chemicals, it was the start of a journey to find a solution. 

If you’re reading this, you probably like to get outside a bit. And sadly, with La Niña apparently making another appearance this summer, learning to live with the rain is something we’ve got to get used to. And that means finding a rain jacket you can trust as much as your belayer.

For many years Gore-Tex® and similar materials have been the go-to by brands when it comes to keeping us dry. But, although they’re undoubtedly good at their job, it turns out that their 5-star success had been coming at a cost – the environment. This is why Patagonia and Gore-Tex have been working together for nearly a decade to come up with better materials.

The problem with previous materials is that they contain polyfluorinated compounds (PFCs) AKA ‘forever chemicals’, named as such because they take thousands of years to break down.

There are over 14,000+ types of PFCs, plus a tonne of different head-scratching acronyms (PFAS, PFOS and PFOAs) that all mean a similar thing: fluorinated chemicals with slightly different molecular structures yet fairly similar functions.

Whatever you call them, they’ve all got one thing in common. They persist as hard as a stubborn climber on a crux, accumulating in water, soil, and even wildlife.

First produced in the 1950s, PFCs have now been found pretty much everywhere – even polar bears in the remotest part of Arctic Greenland and throughout Australia – and once they enter an ecosystem, they’re there to stay.

What the hell are PFCs anyway?

Imagine standing in the rain during a downpour with the water beading off your jacket. That waterproof membrane that’s keeping you dry is what’s filled with these chemicals. Oh, and they’re probably embedded in the synthetic material, too, just for good measure.

And they’re not just found in outdoor gear either, but also in food wrappers and coffee cups (to stop that flat white from leaking through), in non-stick pans, stain-resistant carpet, and fire extinguishing foam – something that’s been used extensively across Australia in our bushfire fighting efforts.

As well as harming the environment there is also growing evidence to suggest they’re harmful to our health too. In the US and Europe, PFOA and PFOS have been deemed ‘hazardous’, and connected to thyroid, kidney and reproductive issues plus testicular cancer.

Here in Australia, three major PFCs—PFOS, PFOA, and PFHx—are being phased out in various industries, and the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) has been publishing alerts on their risks to people and the environment since 2002.

In outdoor gear, the fact that PFCs are strongly bonded to the fabric means wearing it doesn’t usually pose a risk to human health. But it sure as hell impacts the environment.

For most outdoor gear, the manufacturing phase causes the most harm, with chemicals potentially contaminating water or food. Then, during owner wear, these chemicals can enter streams, rivers and other fragile environments.

And finally, just when you think your innocuous little jacket can’t do any more damage, it makes its way to the trash, impacting soil and water quality around landfills.

Patagonia’s journey to a PFC future

Although PFCs are clearly a bigger issue than just our rain jackets, we’ve got to start somewhere. And Patagonia has been at the forefront of trying to find a solution to keep us clean and dry – and protect the environment – for more years than this magazine has been in print. It’s been a long road and certainly not an easy one.

With one of their core values being to ‘Protect our home planet’, once the risks of PFCs were known by Patagonia, keeping them in their gear wasn’t an option. In 2006, they began research around PFOA-free Durable Water Resistant (DWR) material (the most prevalent fluorocarbon at the time) and started R&D trials with PFC-free DWR in 2015.

Over the past decade, Patagonia and Gore-Tex have worked to find a way to remove perfluorinated chemicals from the waterproof fabrics in their outerwear, without compromising performance. Today, some of Patagonia’s products now use Gore-Tex ePE membrane that is guaranteed to hold up to the harsh demands of outdoor, alpine and backcountry objectives, without PFCs.

Patagonia introduced their first gear made with PFC-free DWR finishes in 2019, in 2021 a host of more technical PFC-free gear such as the Dual Aspect Jacket and Bibs, and Micro Puff® Storm were added to the list, and in 2022, every All Mountain Snow product and all non-waterproof Patagonia products with a DWR finish became 100% PFC-free in both fabric and trim.

The exact PFC-free chemistry for each product depends on material, product and intended purpose, although are typically based on hydrocarbons (think polymers and waxes) or silicones. 

And of course the PFC-free gear must pass the same rigorous tests as always, both in the field and the lab. The team uses the Bundesmann water permeability test, which assesses water resistance, as well as testing for chalking, seam slippage, abrasion issues and more. All that hard work and testing paid off and in 2023, all H₂No® Performance Standard Alpine rainwear became 100% PFC-free.

And now, as we head toward the end of 2024, Patagonia is on target to be totally PFC- and PFAS-free across all products by the end of the year. Well, except for fishing waders. But we don’t need them at the crag (although I guess it depends just how bad La Niña gets, huh?).

Why should climbers care?

Out in the wild, staying dry means staying warm, alert, and even alive. So, knowing that we can do our part for the planet whilst not compromising on quality is a big consideration. And although buying new gear is never cheap or easy, when it is time to invest in new wet-weather gear, making it PFC-free is a no-brainer.

We, as climbers, understand the value of nature on a deep level and are responsible for playing a part in protecting the landscapes we explore. Making the switch to PFC-free gear could be one of the easiest ways we can do that.

Three tips for making your gear do good:

  1. Don’t discard old gear with PFCs—let it live out its full lifespan to reduce waste.
  2. When it’s time to buy new, choose gear that’s explicitly PFAS or PFC-free to avoid harmful ‘forever chemicals.
  3. Extend the life of your gear by caring for it properly and re-waterproofing with PFC-free products like Storm Wash Eco.

The incredible Rose Weller sending iconic Nowra line, White Ladder (33). Image by Michael Blowers. 

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