100% PFC-free

All our products are now entirely PFC-free.

Our commitment

Another important step towards sustainability and environmental friendliness! All our clothing items, packs, and bags have been completely PFC-free since the spring/summer 2019 collection. As of 2025, all our products are entirely PFAS-free.

Our challenge

What are PFCs?

Why are PFCs used in textile coatings?

What are PFCs?

PFCs (Perfluorinated Compounds) are a subset of PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances), consisting of fully fluorinated chemicals where all hydrogen atoms in the carbon chain are replaced by fluorine. These substances are widely used in industrial and consumer products due to their excellent water-repellent, oil-repellent, and durable properties.

PFAS are surface-active substances where fluorine atoms replace some or all hydrogen atoms in the carbon chain. This unique structure gives them hydrophobic (water-repellent) and lipophobic (fat-repellent) features, which are applied to numerous consumer products such as carpets, apparel, and non-stick cookware.

Why are PFCs used in textile coatings?

PFCs are primarily used as polymers due to their excellent water-repellent and dirt-repellent characteristics, which provide long-lasting protection for the outer material of weatherproof apparel. Materials with these coatings combine high performance with exceptional durability and resistance.

Our motivation

Clothing is important to us – very important, as we wear it daily. It keeps us warm and protects us from environmental influences such as rain and snow.

Therefore, the production of our clothing is particularly essential to us because it means so much to us and our customers. We pay attention to the materials used in manufacturing and the conditions under which they are produced. As a manufacturer of outdoor clothing, we develop products for experiencing and exploring nature. Consequently, preserving nature and our living spaces is a priority for us, as we, too, love being outdoors and want to protect the world for future generations.

Our partners

We’re not alone on our journey toward a sustainable collection. From the early stages, we have partnered with organizations to help us achieve our goals. The bluesign label ensures environmentally friendly production, while the Fair Wear Foundation monitors the working conditions of employees in developing countries.

Would you like to know more about this topic? You’ll find our most important partners and their websites here.

We became a bluesign® system partner in 2011 in order to restrict the chemicals used during the manufacturing process.

We have been honoured with an award by the Fair Wear Foundation for our commitment to social, safe and fair working conditions in our supply chain. We have been awarded ‘Leader Status’ for the sixth time in a row since 2010.

This is what our experts say

Phil Patterson

Private consultant
Colours Connections (UK)

Download interview (PDF)

Stefan Posner

Senior Researcher
Swerea IVF (Sweden)

Download interview (PDF)

Philippa Hill

Postgraduate researcher
School of Design, University of Leeds (UK)

Download interview (PDF)

FAQs

1. Why are PFCs used in textile coatings at all?

PFCs are primarily used due to the permanent water and dirt-repellent characteristics they provide to impregnations (DWR) on the outer material of weatherproof clothing. Aside from their water and dirt-repellent characteristics, these products are durable and resistant.

2. I have a Jack Wolfskin jacket that isn’t PFC-free. Can I continue to wear it in spite of this?

Yes, absolutely! Regulatory and supervisory boards all over the world have indicated that consumers who use outdoor products containing PFC are not subjected to higher levels of risk.

3. Are there alternatives to coatings containing PFCs?

Currently, there are a number of alternatives to water-repellent coatings containing PFCs. They are based on different technologies. Tests must be done on every single material and the correct coatings chosen. When it comes to water-repellent quality and durability, our PFC-free coatings are in no way inferior to ones containing PFCs. The only thing that is not currently possible with PFC-free coatings is an oil-repellent effect.

4. Do softshells and fleece jackets also have a water-repellent coating?

Softshell jackets that are only water-repellent and not waterproof have a coating on their outer layer, allowing water to drip off. From the summer collection 2019 onwards, all our softshell jackets are PFC-free. Fleece jackets have no water-repellent coating and are therefore completely PFC-free.

5. Are PFCs used in waterproof Texapore membranes and coatings?

Jack Wolfskin’s Texapore weatherproof technology is based on membranes and coatings made from polyurethane (PU). These membranes and coatings are extremely flexible and durable, and offer the very best wind and waterproofness as well as high breathability. No PFCs are used in Texapore products.

6. Why do we say PFC (perfluorinated chemicals) and not PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances) and what is the difference?

Jack Wolfskin has been dealing with the issue of PFCs and PFAS for a very long time. In the early 2010s, the public mainly talked about “PFC” when it came to the problematic properties of water-repellent finishes and coatings. For this reason, we also used this word in our communication.

PFAS are a larger group of chemicals that have many different compounds such as PFOA and PFOS.

We already meant PFAS back then and also said perfluorinated and polyfluorinated chemicals when we talked about PFCs. Many of our customers still have the term in mind, which is why we continue to use the term even if we are actually talking about PFAS.