POPFREE Industry - Towards a PFAS-free and circular industry

POPFREE Industry is a planning project funded by Vinnova, Sweden’s Innovation Agency, within the Sustainable Industry program. The project aims to put together a strong consortium with a concrete plan, that addresses identified needs from the industry, to enable a phase-out of PFAS. An output will be an application for a 5-year competence centre will be submitted by the end of 2022.

The proposed competence centre will be an interdisciplinary research and innovation centre for a competitive and circular industry, with a focus on reaching PFAS-free products and processes, where entire value chains and companies with similar needs collaborate. 

POPFREE Industry builds on the ongoing POPFREE project (UDI Step 3). The competence centre (provided that it is granted) will include additional and more complex product categories and processes where PFAS is used. The project also includes a greater breadth, both in terms of companies and stakeholders that want to work with phasing out PFAS and new aspects, such as the waste perspective and identified research needs.

During the planning project, industry partners map their own PFAS uses, functions and processes and have a dialogue with suppliers and customers. At workshops, challenges linked to different parts of the value chain are discussed, including designs for recycling and waste management, and more companies are included, also those who have alternatives or who have chosen other technical solutions. RISE is responsible for the overall work, organization of the collaboration and compilation of plans and content for the competence centre, as well as communicative and administrative parts.

If your company is interested in being part of a competence centre and collaborating on phasing out PFAS, contact Lisa Skedung and / or Tonie Wickman below.