U.S. government’s $650 billion buying power could move markets to PFAS-free products

May 24, 2022

Read the full article by EWG

"Curbing the needless use of the toxic "forever chemicals" known as PFAS could end their cycle of contamination, and the U.S. government has an extraordinary ability to move markets to PFAS-free products with its $650 billion annual purchasing power.

The government is the world’s largest buyer of goods and services, everything from textiles to cookware – everyday products found in households across the country. Many of these items contain PFAS, and making them pollutes the air and water, which creates health risks when people are exposed to that pollution. By using its massive procurement power to purchase sustainable products that are free of these chemicals, the government can send a strong signal to the market that it needs to shift to PFAS-free products.

Ending non-essential government purchases of products containing PFAS would encourage the development of safer products and reward companies for eliminating the chemicals altogether. That could help to end the extremely harmful waste cycle of PFAS, which are known as forever chemicals because they do not break down and they can build up in our blood and organs, causing a litany of potential health harms."