"The global technical textile industry is lagging a bit in using Perfluorinated compounds (PFC)-free water repellents, probably since most of their products are not directly used by consumers," a top official at OrganoClick, a company producing environment friendly fiber based products told technicaltextiles.net. Set up in 2006, OrganoClick has remained a major supplier of renewable, functional, cellulose based materials. "However, as the awareness of PFC increases, the global technical textile industry is also expected to demand more sustainable additives. However, the demand for renewable additives such as biobased binders for the manufacturing of nonwovens or technical textile is strong," he adds. PFCs have been used in the textile industry for decades. One of their main usage areas is to confer water and oil repellent properties to textile materials and can be found on most functional apparels and also and on all kinds of technical textiles like car seats, sofas, medical gowns and uniforms. PFCs are man-made chemicals that take a very long time to degrade in nature, probably thousands of years. Today it is clear that some PFCs are causing harm to both animals and human health. The health profile of the short chained PFCs like the C6 is not yet fully clear, but many product companies want to be on the safe side and therefore mandate that PFC-free alternatives are used.
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