Apart from the DWR treatments on the materials used in shoe production, there is another potential source of harmful PFCs from Icebug products - the PTFE material of the GORE-TEX membrane in waterproof breathable products. Even though the PTFE itself is stable in the user phase, hazardous PFCs are used in the production of PTFE and if the shoes are burnt after being disposed, PFCs can be released. Icebug decided to keep working with Gore fabrics as Gore has committed to eliminate hazardous PFCs from production of the type of laminate Icebug uses by the end of 2020. We believe that we can have a stronger impact pushing this topic from the brand customer perspective as well. Parallelly we constantly seek alternatives and there are several new sustainable membranes under development.
Gore has moved their deadline for removing PFAS/PFC to 2023