(Fall River, Mass.) With new regulations taking place January 1, 2025, restricting the sale of consumer goods containing PFAS chemistries, the R&D team at Bolger & O’Hearn has continued to develop and refine its line of powerful PFAS-Free, durable water repellents.

In development for over 12 years, B&O’s PFAS-free DWR’s have many of the same repellent characteristics as a C6. But ours have been in continually evaluated and refined to bring safer, greener repellent chemistries to the global textile supply chain that do not sacrifice performance.

B&O is a bluesign partner, and many of our chemistries are on the ZDHC list of approved chemistries for the environment for the textiles, apparel, and outdoor upholstery markets. This includes Shell-Tech Free M325 SC1 for apparel & selected outdoor furnishings where a AATCC high spray rating and good wash durability are required without oil repellency.

In addition to being PFAS-free, Shell-Tech Free M325 SC1 contains no VOC’s (volatile organic compounds), does not contain wax and has been formulated to prevent build up on pad rolls, which makes this DWR easy to apply at the mill.

B&O’s carefully engineered fluorine-free repellent has a high spray rating for synthetics, nylon blends and cotton rich fabrics as well as polyester/Lycra blends and cotton polyester blends. Regarding durability, Shell-Tech Free M325 SC1 is unique in that it can hold a high spray rating through 50 wash cycles and is highly recommended for heavy cotton denim fabrics.

Shell-Tech Free M325 SC1 can also be foam finished on fabrics and is highly effective even at low pad-bath concentrations and exhibits low-temperature cure benefits.

To learn more about B&O’s innovative PFAS-free DWRs, look for the company’s Co-President, Kelly Murphy, April 9 to 11 in Washington DC at the annual meeting of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) at the Watergate Hotel.