Future for C6 chemistry in Europe

The industry still has the opportunity to comment on the draft restriction of C6 chemical/PFHxA, the “SEAC (socio-economic committee) draft opinion”, in Europe. Then the second public consultation ended after a period of 60 days on September 7, 2021.

A closer look at the exemption areas of the “SEAC draft opinion” shows the sum of textiles that may no longer be produced or sold in the EU in the future using C6 chemistry, if the restriction comes into force according to the current status.

This may include

• certified work protection textiles that are subject to the EU PPE regulation, with the exception of certain class III products,
• clothing for rescue and emergency services or survival protection that are not subject to the PPE regulation,
• sports and outdoor clothing for extreme conditions - for professionals and private users,
• medical products or hygiene products that are not subject to the MDR (Medical Device Regulation),
• UV/sun protection textiles and dirt-repellent outdoor textiles,
• flame retardants, dirt-repellent textiles for interiors,
• automotive textiles such as dirt-repellent seat covers or headliners.

This would mean an enormous change for many manufacturers and distributors, if their application is not being considered as a derogation.

Daikin Industries Ltd., Osaka/Japan, has, beside the current C6 portfolio, responded to the already growing demand for fluorine-free repellents and put a lot of effort into developing fluorine-free solutions in recent years.

With Unidyne XF, Daikin offers an environmentally friendly, fluorine-free product family of durable water repellent solutions for textiles and nonwovens, which offers a high protection against water and water based stains, while maintaining breathability and soft hand of the fabric.

Anchor technology (Source: Daikin)

Thanks to the Advanced Anchor Technology from Daikin, a stable link between textile and Unidyne XF is achieved, providing excellent water repellency and higher durability against washing and daily wear. Unidyne XF also has at least 50% bio-based content and ensures that the raw materials circular economy can be achieved.