Why no new recipes to replace Pfas
9 replies (most recent on top)
Who dass there are no recipes? It really depends on the product. For some it is rather easy to get it out. We already had version without it since a long time.
The reformulation work, I have seen, was handled highly confidential. It was a pain to work with these people as they kept everything secret. So just because you don't know of such programs, doesn't mean they don't exist. Some division did very early actions, some seem to be very unprepared. Generalization is not easy here when you look at this broad impacted portfolio.
Outside of the US, Scotchgard used silicone chemistry. Not differentiated at all and it only had a moderate level of water repellency, and very little stain repellency.
Looks like AdMD and EMSD is next to be merged. Both badly impacted by PFAS
Amen Varys.
Here's 3M's list of 15,000+ PFAS-containing SKUs, touching nearly every division and iconic 3M brand...
https://pfas.3m.com/download/3MProductReport011223+.xlsx
So get to work on whipping up all those new recipes. Labs and factories are flush with headcount and R&D investments are flowing freely at the moment. Pretty please by 2025 because the clock is ticking. Oh yeah, you also need to meet all customer, industry, regulatory and legal requirements by then too. Globally of course. Don't forget to notify customers on the spec'd in products. Route all the customer supply contract amendments through legal affairs, because it's quiet over there I hear. Good luck with all this. May MR grant you 100 Everyday Wins points for your efforts. If you can get PTFE out of the PTFE tapes, you should get an extra 50 points.
If 3M management was remotely competent these activities would have started 10-20 years ago rather than in the last 12 months (at least for the products that have potential to be reformulated). 3M is so fn hosed.
Who is going to do the hard work in the lab and get their hands dirty? Every other guy is in management these days and managing their careers.
What if 3M developed large scale solutions for removing PFAS from the environment and could monetize it. Like a firefighter getting paid to put out the fire that he set.
I don’t why know Vary’s is being downvoted, as they are absolutely correct.
Also who is to say that any new PFAs alternatives that may be invented would be any better for the environment or have similar issues later down the line that PFAs have had?
I think the big thing now would be figuring out how to remove PFAs from the environment.
In all seriousness, for many applications there are no realistic drop-in replacements. Products and processes will need to be re-built from the ground up and in most cases the products will not be the same after the re-building.
For example: Ask any old-enough 3Mer about the difference between the old C8 Scotchgard and the re-makes, they are night and day different. The old stuff might have ended up in polar bears, but it worked much, much better.
most of the R&D people have been laid off...what do you think