Toray has announced the development of a water-repellent finishing technology that does not require fluorinated compounds while enabling, according to the company, the same performance and durability of conventional treatments. Fluorine-based water repellents are typically used in the textile industry to add functionalities such as soil and oil repellency, but these agents contain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a substance raising concerns about the negative impact of its accumulation in the body and the residuals in external environment. Other processes with non-fluorine-based water repellent agents that have been developed thus far are generally inferior in terms of initial water repellent performance and water repellent durability, making it necessary to coat the textile surface with a large amount of water repellent agents. The result was apparently a fabric losing part of its original texture and physical properties.
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