The company has reported a record interest in the company's product OrganoTex, which is said to offer a biodegradable and fluorocarbon-free alternative for the water repellent fabric treatment of clothing and shoes.

OrganoTex is produced in Täby, north of Stockholm, by OrganoClick AB. The chemical component in OrganoTex consists of hydrophobic hydrocarbon chains that can be rapidly biodegraded and are classed as entirely non-hazardous according to the European REACH chemical regulations. OrganoTex provides a very high and sustainable water repellent function that maintains the natural appearance and texture of the fabric, according to the manufacturer.

Transitioning to fluorocarbon-free

Fluorocarbons, also known as perfluorinated compounds (PFAS or PFC) have been a hot topic in recent years, but following the Greenpeace report last week – and the wide coverage it received in the international media – the debate is even more relevant now.

Fluorocarbons have been used since the 1950s to make clothing and textiles water repellent, but many fluorocarbons, such as PFOA, have significant negative drawbacks including extremely slow degradation in nature and being suspected of causing cancer and hormonal disruption.

“Since Norway introduced restrictions for PFOA in consumer products in 2014 the issue has been a hot topic in the textile sector. At the ISPO fair last week we had 300% more visitors to our stand than in 2015 and we are now having tangible discussions with several international clothing brands who want to transition to an entirely fluorocarbon-free water repellent technology by 2017, or by 2020 at the latest,” explained Mårten Hellberg, Managing Director (CEO) of OrganoClick AB.

New technology

Transitioning to fluorocarbon-free is a complicated process for the clothing companies as this means that new technology must be implemented and fine-tuned at many fabric manufacturing sites, in different countries and for different materials.

OrganoClick AB provides technical service and sharing expertise about the problems of fluorocarbons with the textile manufacturers. The clothing brands are also expected to guarantee that no contamination from fluorocarbon can occur at the manufacturing sites of subcontractors, where both fluorocarbon-free and traditional alternatives are often used in the same factory.

“We offer the clothing brands that use OrganoTex regular testing for fluorocarbons so that the clothing brands and their customers can be sure that the product is fluorocarbon-free as promised,” said Robin Grankvist, OrganoClick AB Business Area Manager.

www.organoclick.com