Dick’s Sporting Goods this week revealed it would ban PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals” in all of the products it produces itself. It’s a laudable commitment, but if Dick’s opted to take the next step, and promise that none of the products it sells in its 850 stores nationwide—a leap outdoor outfitter REI made in February—how would the retailer be able to keep track of what items are in keeping with that pledge and what aren’t?
Assent, a Canadian supply chain management solutions firm, believes it has solved that conundrum with its latest innovation, also released this week, that tracks the PFAS levels of all products all along a company’s supply chain. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are believed to cause weakened immune responses and liver damage in humans and animals.
Cally Edgren, Assent’s director of product sustainability experts, explained how the new service works by using an example of an outdoor equipment company that sells, for instance, a backpack, an item that commonly contains PFAS for its water-repellant properties.
“You would give us that build material—including the suppliers and the part numbers—and then our software will automatically reach out to the suppliers to collect data on each part,” Edgren explained. “We don’t help our customers design their products, per se; we’re helping them understand where their risks are.”
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Assent found in a recent poll of 800 manufacturers that 97 percent recognized the need for collecting PFAS data, but a third hadn’t even started trying yet. Ironically, 97 is the same percentage of Americans who today test positive for the presence of the chemicals, which exploded onto the scene in the 1940s with the advent of various plastics.
“Chemical composition of products has, from a regulatory perspective, only grown—exponentially—over the last decade and PFAS is really the latest in that trend,” Krystal Cameron, VP of product management for Assent, told Sourcing Journal. “Where PFAS actually flips the script is that there is a tremendous amount of pressure and tension—and a lot of trends to voluntarily discontinue using these things in products. That’s a real difference where we’re seeing companies becoming better actors and not just waiting for regulations—they’re actually concerned.”
Also motivating companies beyond anticipating legislation and regulation is the decision by major manufacturers—especially Minnesota-based giant 3M—to go PFAS-free.
“This is not an industry-specific concern—this was across the board, and I think 3M’s discontinuation is driving a lot more urgency than even the regulations themselves,” Edgren said. “We’ve not seen this type of attention to previous material restriction regulations. Nobody’s liability insurer was canceling their policy because they couldn’t demonstrate compliance, but that’s what’s happening with PFAS.”
But state, federal and global regulations are coming fast; most notably the EPA’s Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which would require companies to report on the use of 1,364 chemicals within a year of its enactment, which is expected to come at some point in 2023.
According to Edgren, the EPA doesn’t tell you what those 1,364 chemicals are, which is why Assess leans on a team of at least 16 regulatory experts to facilitate the process.
“This is where you need to the experts to use their chemistry knowledge and their knowledge of other things like task inventory,” Edgren said. “AI is just not able to do that because there’s just too many decisions that need to be made.”
Current technology also comes up short in the space of testing for PFAS in a speedy way, and as a result, databases, like those used by Asset, are reliant on supplier-provided data. Edgren said there are three big solutions that must be found in order to solve the PFAS puzzle: One is finding substitutes for the qualities PFAS provides, the second is how to destroy PFAS, especially when it’s found in drinking water, and the third is better testing capabilities.
“To develop better testing methodology for all PFAS in all types of materials and lower levels—that’s not going to happen tomorrow, but there’s a lot of researchers working on that,” she said. “So maybe someday we’ll have those tests, but right now, testing capabilities are very, very limited.”
The company officially celebrated the PFAS solutions launch at its virtual two-day conference where Erin Brockovich was the keynote speaker, but Assent has been around for a dozen years. The company said 90 percent of those who’ve already started using the days-old PFAS solution are existing customers, and among all users of the new service, 34 percent come from industrial development, 34 percent in electronics and 6 percent medical development.
Ted Monty, Vice President, BSO, product engineering and regulatory product compliance at Portage Electric Products, one of Assent’s clients.
“[We strive] to achieve deep sustainability throughout our supply chains and ensure our customers have access to compliance data to reduce operational and product risk. We are committed to ongoing due diligence in our activities, upholding the highest standard of transparency and compliance with regulatory requirements in our operations,” Monty said. “It is imperative for our company, our supply chain, and our customers to be aware that PFAS are currently in our environment.”
Meanwhile on Wednesday, praise poured in for the decision by Dick’s Sporting Goods—not one of Assent’s clients—from public health advocates.
“No one’s drinking water should be polluted for a raincoat,” said Mike Schade, director of Mind the Store, a program of Toxic-Free Future. “Though this is a major step forward, Dick’s Sporting Goods must now work with suppliers to evaluate the safety of alternatives, to avoid replacing one toxic substance with another. And other retailers must also take action towards achieving healthier and more sustainable products.”