News

Iconic British tent brand Terra Nova has announced that its 2023 collection of tents will be made using a PFC-free inner tent fabrics across the entire range. PFCs, or polyfluorinated chemicals, are synthetic chemicals used to create a reliable and durable water-repellent finish on waterproof fabrics, however their use has become controversial as there is mounting concern about their environmental impact once a product reaches the end of its useable life. Terra Nova has switched from using PFCs, which use six carbon atoms as part of their chemical makeup to new chemistries that removes the carbon element and are known as carbon zero or PFC-free.

Terra Nova product development manager, Dave Housley, said: “We have been testing both PU-coated (flysheet and groundsheet) and non-coated (breathable inner) PFC-free fabrics for some time, both in our lab and in the field and we are making progress. We’re pleased to say that we have been able to confidently adopt PFC-free DWR for most of the breathable inner fabrics found in our Terra Nova tents. In addition, our flysheet and groundsheet fabrics that are coated on both sides with silicone (Si2) are naturally PFC-free.”

Terra Nova’s long-term goal is for all of its products to be PFC-free, but as it stands almost all of its products have some kind of PFC-fabric used to construct them. The company claims it will continue to research and action ways in which it can reduce its impact on the environment.