In media discussions about this very complex topic water, oil and soil repellents based on fluorocarbons, by mistake, have been often named as a source of these substances. Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are not at all used for impregnating textiles, but are found at most in smallest quantities – in the range of < 5 ppm - as byproducts when manufacturing fluorine-containing impregnating agents.

A majority of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) reach(ed) nature by way of fire-extinguishing foams, galvanic processes and PTFE-coatings. The quantity that has thus accumulated makes the analytical proof of a basic load in ppb-range possible everywhere. This basic load is, amongst other things, carried along by textiles to be finished and water needed for processing operations. The finish itself with FC-products from the RUCO-GUARD C₆ and RUCOSTAR C₆ range is PFOS and PFOA-free and does not actively contribute to the release of PFOS and/or PFOA. It is, therefore, free of PFOA and PFOS to the detectible limit already existing in nature.

With the entirely fluorocarbon-free BIONIC-FINISH®ECO, which will open up new perspectives to the clothing sector, RUDOLF GROUP takes a step forward. With BIONIC-FINISH®ECO we have succeeded in developing water-repellent finishes that do NOT release fluoro-organic compounds.