Not-So-Sexy Solvents: Used by All - Known by Few
What exactly is a solvent?
Solvents are the invisible workhorses of the textile industry. They disperse adhesives, paints, screen prints, lacquers, coating agents, and laminates— the key to making your gear look great, boosting performance, increasing durability, and enhancing water resistance.
But there’s a hidden cost.
Think about the sharp, chemical smell in a freshly painted room that makes you feel dizzy or lightheaded. That’s the result of solvents releasing volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, into the air. Now imagine breathing that in every day, all day, as part of your job. This is the daily reality for many workers in the textile supply chain.
It may sound extreme to say that people are risking their health, or even their lives, to make outdoor gear. This isn't an exaggeration, it’s the reality. VOCs are linked to cancer, reproductive harm, organ damage, and long-term respiratory problems. Exposure can happen through inhalation or skin contact, and the impacts are both immediate and long-lasting.
In the United States, the government already regulates VOCs for both human health and environmental reasons. VOC levels in household products are limited to protect indoor air quality and reduce health risks from inhalation under the Clean Air Act (CAA). The federal VOC limit for architectural paint is 250 grams per liter, and California restricts it even further to 150 grams per liter. Yet standard solvent-based textile coatings contain around 709 grams per liter of VOCs, nearly three times more. VOCs react with sunlight to form ground-level ozone, a major contributor to smog, which causes respiratory problems and harms ecosystems. If the government considers it unsafe for someone to inhale VOCs while painting their living room, why is it still acceptable for factory workers to face nearly triple that exposure every day?
There’s a glaring contradiction here. When the problem is visible, we regulate it. When it’s hidden in a supply chain, we look the other way.
You’re probably thinking: How is this still legal?
The short answer? Because systemic change is slow. Harmful chemicals don’t get banned overnight. It takes years—often decades—of advocacy, science, and relentless pressure from people like you to shift the system.
So... What Now?
Glad you asked. This is where we come in!
We offer waterborne textile coatings that perform as well as, or even better than, solvent-based options. They emit only water vapor, not VOCs. No solvents. No PFAS. No problem.
The catch?
Our waterborne coating solution costs a bit more, and the application process requires equipment updates. To achieve high-performance results, a different coating head is required, and the drying oven often needs to be extended because water evaporates more slowly than solvents.
Outdoor brands are up against countless environmental challenges, and this particular issue remains hidden deep within complex supply chains. Safer alternatives have often been expensive and unable to fully meet performance needs. On top of that, inconsistent global regulations, the exposure of workers rather than consumers, and brands’ focus on other priorities have all contributed to keeping this problem in the shadows. All these factors combine to create the perfect problem that has resisted resolution until now.
Bluesign®, a leading chemical safety certification system in the textile industry, is tackling the solvents problem through its CMR Solvent Phase-Out Program. They are now requiring bluesign® system partner facilities to at least explore water-based alternatives, but there is still an exception for PU coatings that require high performance.
Another option proposed by bluesign® is to install a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) or other mitigation system. An RTO is an industrial system that destroys hazardous air pollutants and VOCs by heating them to high temperatures and breaking them down into carbon dioxide and water vapor. This technology is about 20 times more expensive than investing in equipment for waterborne coating.
Change starts with awareness. Then action.
Solvents might not be sexy. They don’t make headlines like microplastics or PFAS. But they’re quietly poisoning workers and polluting the air to make our gear. Many players in the industry are determined to bring this issue to light, and the momentum is starting to build.
At PolyCore, we want to make sure that brands and consumers are aware of the issue, and also aware that we are working hard every day to make our solution a viable one for the entire industry. Solvents are not a necessary ingredient in textile coatings, so let’s ditch them!