Protecting rainforest with the World Land Trust is just one part of the Nikwax environmental approach. Explore these pages to learn more... United Kingdom United States Canada France España Nederlands Deutschland Danmark Ceská Republika Korea Italia Hungary Polska Schweiz (Deutsch) Suisse (Français) Global leader in safe, high performance waterproofing, cleaning and conditioning for outdoor gear Why Nikwax Products Systems Environment WebQuiz Stockists Blog Contact Us Nikwax and the Environment How we think... Nikwax is still owned by its founder Nick Brown, an outdoor enthusiast who uses science to improve people’s comfort and enjoyment of the natural world. But he is fully aware that if humankind is to continue enjoying what nature provides, then we all have to think hard about how we are going to protect it. This is the source of Nikwax’s commitment to low impact products, and it’s a commitment which over the years has drawn many like minded thinkers into the company. We know we are not perfect, so a key part of our philosophy is to measure and understand our footprint so that we can hold ourselves to account. From CO2 emissions down to the chemicals which make up our products, we want to know what we are putting out there, and what its impact is likely to be. Nikwax applies a scientific approach that combines understanding, measurement and continuous improvement. To learn more about our philosophy and the environmental issues which most concern us click here. What we do... Nikwax takes real action in a broad range of areas. From internal policies to reduce direct impacts, to external funding of conservation and education, we strive to live by our principles and set an example to the rest of the industry. We know that we are working hard to reduce our environmental impact, but we also believe that consumers should have a healthy scepticism when it comes to companies’ environmental claims. To promote a culture of transparency and public scrutiny, we have decided to share our environmental performance data online. Flattering or otherwise, we are laying it out for all to see, allowing the public to make their own minds up about our efforts. Environmental Blog Articles, photos and videos from a variety of contributors including Nick Brown. Learn what we're thinking about and join the conversation... Environmental Indicators Explore our environmental footprint data through interactive graphs and diagrams. See how we're doing and hold us to account. Conservation Nikwax funds a variety of conservation projects around the world. Find out where the money goes and what it achieves. Restricted Substances Nikwax maintains a public list of the chemicals it excludes from its formulations. Find out which chemicals and the reasons why. Fluorocarbons (PFCs) Nikwax never has and never will use PFCs in waterproofing products. Learn why fluorocarbon pollution should matter to everyone. Campaigning and Education One company acting alone can only achieve so much. Learn how we engage wider society for a more significant change. Latest News New evidence supports Nikwax exclusion of fluorocarbons Recent study links PFCs commonly used in waterproofing with suppressed immune systems in children. Nikwax has always rejected the use of perfluorinated compounds (commonly referred to as fluorocarbons or PFC’s) because of their questionable environmental and health effects. When Nikwax first considered PFCs as an ingredient for water repellents more than 12 years ago, there was already enough scientific evidence for us to rule out their use. They had been shown to be persistent in the environment and a potential risk to human health. We have been following the scientific research into these chemicals ever since, and the body of evidence against them has continued to grow. Certain types of cancer, infertility and stunted foetal development have all been linked to increased PFC levels. The most recent and alarming study, carried out over 8 years and published recently in 2012, linked PFCs to damaged immune systems in children. PFOA and PFOS are two members of the PFC chemical family which have recently received very bad publicity. But having reviewed the evidence carefully, Nikwax is more convinced than ever that the entire PFC family, not just PFOS and PFOA, present an unacceptable and unnecessary risk to consumers. For this reason Nikwax asserts that its aftercare products will NEVER use fluorocarbon water-repellents. To find out more click here. How to contact us | Term and conditions | Privacy policy | Ingredients | Cookie policy | Stockists | Trade area | Commercial Laundries Nikwax Ltd. UK VAT no: 235315975, Austria VAT no: ATU63692089 Registered in England & Wales No. 3101664. 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