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part of life

“It’s not because you’re a small company that you can’t contribute to make our planet cleaner.”

This has been our obsession for the last two years when we and our suppliers were looking for a way to manufacture/develop eco-friendly PFC-free Freetime products.

Perfluorinated Compounds, aka PFCs are chemical compounds usually used on fabrics as water repellent. Scientific studies have not showed yet their potential effects on human health but PFCs rise a lot of concern regarding their important bioaccumulation capacity. They are certainly a danger for our planet, and this is why the outdoor industry is gradually turning PFC-free.

And so, we thought: why couldn’t we? Being small was never an obstacle to achieve big before.

Yet, we wanted to substitute the PFCs while keeping our commitment to offering the best possible quality/price ratio.

PFC Free - logo "PFC Freetime" showing Freetime turns PFC free in 2020
PFC free - droplets of rain on tree leafs show how Nature creates hydrophobic surfaces.

In recent years, alternatives have been developed by chemical companies, but they were either very expensive or notably less efficient than PFCs. Now better and affordable alternatives are on the market. In agreement with our suppliers, we chose a solution developed by the Rudolf Group: Bionic Finish® Eco. Bionic consists in studying how Nature makes one thing and developing a technology from it.

How do tree leafs keep dry under the rain? When it comes to water repellent, Nature is the best. And she doesn’t need PFCs!

Bionic Finish® Eco presents several advantages:

  • No fluorinated compounds
  • Formaldehyde-free
  • Highly water-repellent
  • No significant change of handle
  • Effects are resistant to wash cycles*, abrasion and wear
  • No side effect on the fabric breathability

Now, after 2 years of hard work on this transition, we are proud to say that Freetime sleeping bags and backpacks are PFC-free!

*Durable up to 20 wash cycles (40°C) with final ironing — www.rudolf.de/en/technology/bionic-finish-eco/