Chemical maker BYK Additives is phasing out the use of PFAS from its product portfolio by the end of 2025, the Germany-based company announced Aug. 13.
The phase-out also includes converting all of its manufacturing facilities worldwide to make PFAS-free firefighting foam.
The chemical maker has five additive factories in the U.S. — one each in New York, Missouri, Texas, Kentucky, Maryland and Connecticut, according to the company’s website.
“To this end, BYK has invested heavily in new or modified firefighting equipment,” Matthias Kramer, managing director of global production, said in a statement.
BYK has been researching and developing compatible PFAS alternatives in recent years, Stefan Mößmer, managing director of marketing and commercial, said in the release.
The chemical maker aims to help its customers phase out PFAS-laden products by offering them forever chemical-free alternatives by the end of 2025. In May, BYK began offering two PFAS-free additive products to customers in the thermoplastics industry.
In 2022, the chemical maker began offering polytetrafluoroethylene-free, or PTFE-free, wax additive coatings. PTFE is one of the more popular forever chemicals used as a coating in various products due to its heat, water and abrasion resistance, such as cookware.
Other PFAS-free alternatives BYK offers include defoamers and air release, surface and processing additives.
The company currently uses PFAS “to a very small extent” as raw materials in some of its additive products, the company said in the release.
“These are chemically bound in the additives, are non-volatile, and are used only in closed or contained systems,” BYK stated in the release.
The chemicals are found in various product groups such as defoamers, surface and wax additives used in industrial, wood and furniture coatings, as well as automotive coatings. They’re also used in process additives in extrusion, injection molding, foils and fibers.
As more forever chemical regulations increase worldwide, chemical makers are phasing out the toxic substances in their manufacturing. 3M promised to phase out PFAS in their manufacturing by 2026. The chemical titan has listed over 22,000 products manufactured with or containing forever chemicals as of July 18, some of which have either been reformulated or discontinued.
