October 7, 2024 Winner of the Outdoor Changemaker Award 2024: Chemsec’s PFAS Movement
The Outdoor Changemaker Award recognizes transformative initiatives in the outdoor industry that prioritize collaboration. This year’s winner, Chemsec, was honored for its PFAS Movement, which pushes for stricter PFAS regulations and supports companies in phasing out these harmful substances.
“With the PFAS Movement, Chemsec demonstrates that even smaller players can make a significant impact through engagement, expertise, and collaboration,” says jury member and Suston’s Editor-in-chief, Gabriel Arthur.
The Outdoor Changemaker Award celebrates sustainable transformation within the outdoor community. The award highlights initiatives that prioritize collaboration rather than competition and is open to individuals, groups, companies, and organizations.
The 2024 award has expanded its scope from Sweden to include Norway as well. Ten nominees were chosen by sustainability experts at Peak 63, in collaboration with Suston Magazine by NORR Agency and Gidås Hållbarhetsbyrå. The jury has four guiding principles when searching for candidates. Each one should:
- Tackle a pressing challenge within the outdoor community.
- Demonstrate transformative change through a collaborative approach.
- Inspire others to take sustainable action.
- Exhibit the potential for long-lasting positive impacts.
A movement to phase out PFAS
The winning Changemaker Chemsec was announced on October 3rd at the Sustainable Outdoor Professionals’ conference in Östersund, Sweden. In keeping with the award’s ethos, the winner receives a circular trophy – engraved and passed forward each year. In 2023, the award was given to the Solros project by the footwear brand Icebug.
The jury’s motivation for awarding the international non-profit based in Gothenburg, Sweden, reads:
“Phasing out highly fluorinated substances, known as PFAS, is one of the most challenging chemical phase-outs in modern times. Through its PFAS Movement initiative, Chemsec has managed to garner broad support from multiple industry sectors, including the outdoor industry.
With the backing of companies, Chemsec has pushed for new, restrictive PFAS legislation, while also educating both industries and the public about why this change is necessary. Additionally, Chemsec provides several smart tools to help companies in their transition.”
Several outdoor companies are part of the movement that Chemsec has built, including Fjällräven, PeakPerformance, Bergans, Icebug, Houdini, Klättermusen, and Organoclick.
“Through our tool we demonstrate that there are solutions that can be implemented. A big advantage now is that with over a hundred signatory companies, we are now many from different branches that can support and inspire one another,” says Jerker Ligthart, Senior Chemicals Advisor at Chemsec, who continues:
“We are committed to assisting in the legislative process, which is being discussed in full swing in various scientific committees in the EU in order to push through a broad ban on PFAS substances across the Union. It’s a big job, but it has the potential to deliver a great result when it gets passed. Here, clear positions from the companies in the PFAS Movement contribute enormously.”
10 nominees from Sweden and Norway
- Light My Fire’s Borrow program: Rent & loan instead of single-use plastics
- Fritidsbanken: Loan equipment for leisure activities for free
- Bergans of Norway: Circularity pioneers in Scandinavian outdoor
- Naturkompaniet’s Naturbonus: The loyalty club giving back to nature
- Pinsj: Norway’s new platform for peer-to-peer resale and rental
- Svenskt Friluftsliv: A common voice for 28 outdoor NGOs in Sweden
- Protect Our Winters Sweden & Norway: A trailblazing grassroots movement
- Common Values United: Bringing Third Culture Kids into Sweden’s great outdoors
- SME Climate Hub: Enabling SMEs’ climate action
- Chemsec’s PFAS Movement: Gathering industry players for a ban on PFAS
Lead Image: Chemsec
