The PFAS Ban and Textile Finishing: Why IR and UV Could Be the Answer

If you work in textile finishing, you already know the chemicals your production line has relied on for decades are being phased out... so the clock is ticking.

PFAS — per and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or 'forever chemicals' as the press likes to call them — have been the backbone of durable water repellent (DWR) finishes in technical and performance textiles for years. They're what makes a jacket shed rain, a workwear fabric resist oil, and protective clothing hold up under real conditions. But with sweeping regulatory change already in force across the UK and EU, the industry needs to find viable alternatives. Fast.

We think light might just be part of the answer.

PFAS regulations in the UK and EU: what textile manufacturers need to know

The regulatory picture is complex, but the direction of travel is clear.

In France, from 1 January 2026, the law bans the manufacture, import, export and marketing of textile clothing, footwear and waterproofing agents containing PFAS — with a full ban extending to all textiles from 2030. Denmark has prohibited the import and sale of clothing, footwear and certain impregnation agents containing PFAS above 50 mg F/kg, effective 1 July 2026, with a sell-through period running until January 2027.

At the EU level, restrictions on perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) — a key PFAS subgroup widely used in textile finishing — will ban its use in consumer textiles such as rain jackets from October 2026, with broader transitional periods of up to five years for other applications.

The EU is pursuing PFAS restriction through multiple regulatory routes simultaneously. Some are already in force. Some take effect in 2026. And one very large universal restriction — covering all PFAS across all sectors — is still being finalised, expected to land in 2027 or later.

In the UK, the 2025/26 REACH Work Programme prioritises PFAS risk management, including consultation on restrictions and continued alignment with other major jurisdictions where appropriate.

The message is consistent on both sides of the Channel: PFAS-based finishing chemistry is being regulated out of existence. Not eventually — now.

Why replacing PFAS in DWR textile finishing is harder than it sounds

The difficulty with moving away from PFAS isn't political — it's technical. These chemicals have dominated DWR finishing for decades because they genuinely work. Polymeric PFAS have been used in DWR chemistries due to their washing fastness and outstanding resistance to both water and oil. Emerging evidence that even short-chain PFAS pose risks due to their persistence and toxicity is driving global policy toward a rapid phase-out.

Non-fluorinated alternatives — including silicones, hydrocarbons and polyurethane chemistries — have improved significantly, but they still generally trail fluorinated finishes in oil repellency and long-term durability.

So the challenge isn't just swapping one chemical for another. It's maintaining the performance properties that technical and performance textile manufacturers — and their customers — depend on. That's where the process itself becomes as important as the chemistry.

How infrared drying and UV curing support PFAS-free textile coatings

This is where we'd like to reframe the conversation.

When the industry talks about PFAS alternatives, the focus tends to fall entirely on chemistry — which new coating to use, which formulation performs closest to what came before. What gets less attention is the role that curing and drying technology plays in getting the most out of whatever coating you're applying.

Infrared and UV processing aren't new to industrial finishing. But in the context of next-generation PFAS-free coatings, they deserve a much closer look.

Infrared drying

IR drying targets the coating and substrate directly rather than heating the surrounding air. IR heats the surface in a targeted and uniform manner — ideal for water-based systems and demanding coating thicknesses. IR only heats the component or coating, not the entire oven chamber, which reduces start-up times and energy losses significantly.

This matters because many of the leading PFAS-free DWR alternatives are water-borne formulations. Getting a complete, consistent cure on a water-based coating — without damaging heat-sensitive textiles — is exactly where controlled IR heating excels. Precise wavelength selection means energy is delivered where it's needed, at the depth it's needed. No unnecessary thermal stress. No uneven curing.

UV curing

UV curing works differently. Rather than applying heat, UV light initiates a photochemical reaction that cross-links the coating almost instantaneously.

Photografting by UV light combines the inherent benefits of photochemical initiation — a fast, versatile, efficient process — and has been demonstrated for water and oil repellency finishing on textile fibres using silicone and alternative resin systems.

UV radiation efficiently cures coatings such as paints, inks and adhesives within seconds. UV-cured surfaces are long-life and resistant to abrasion and scratching — and in most cases, less energy is consumed compared to conventional thermal processes.

For textile finishers working with reactive PFAS-free chemistries, UV curing offers something conventional stenter ovens simply can't: rapid, controlled cross-linking at lower overall energy input. That translates directly to better surface durability, faster throughput, and lower running costs.

IR and UV together: a process solution for textile finishing

The most compelling case isn't IR or UV in isolation — it's both working together. UV cross-links coatings in fractions of a second and ensures immediately resilient surfaces. In combination with IR, even complex material and coating structures can be reliably processed — energy-efficiently, fast and stable.

For a production line transitioning away from PFAS-based chemistry, this combination offers a genuine path forward: use IR to uniformly drive off moisture and activate the coating, then UV to achieve a fast, durable cure. The result is consistent performance across the fabric, with a process that can be precisely controlled and scaled.

Victory: IR and UV technology for industrial textile processing

We're a manufacturer and supplier of lamps and fittings for lighting, heating and industrial processing. Our range literally covers the full spectrum — and infrared and UV are at the heart of what we do.

Through our Infrared and Ultraviolet sub-brands, we supply the industrial emitters, lamps and systems that sit inside the drying and curing equipment used across manufacturing. We understand that the lamp isn't the end product — the performance of your finished textile is.

When a regulatory shift like the PFAS ban forces an industry to rethink its processes from the ground up, we see it as our job to make the case for what light-based processing can bring to the table. Not as a silver bullet. Not as a replacement for the right chemistry. But as a critical enabler of whatever comes next.

The textile finishers who come out strongest from this transition won't just be those who found the best PFAS-free coating. They'll be the ones who optimised every part of the process — including the curing step.

Key questions for your PFAS transition: drying, curing and energy efficiency

If you're working through PFAS compliance in your finishing operation, here are the questions worth asking about your drying and curing process:

Is your current curing method optimised for water-borne chemistry? Most PFAS-free DWR alternatives are water-based. Conventional hot-air systems can struggle to deliver the even, consistent cure these chemistries need without overexposing the substrate.

What wavelength are you working with? Not all IR is equal. Short, medium and long-wave IR penetrate differently. Getting the wavelength right for your coating and fabric combination makes a measurable difference to cure quality.

Have you evaluated UV-reactive PFAS-free formulations? UV curable non-fluorinated coatings are an active area of development. If your line doesn't have UV capability, you may be closing yourself off from some of the most promising alternatives.

What's the energy cost of your current curing step? IR and UV systems are typically more energy-efficient than continuous oven processes — worth modelling as energy costs remain high.

Talk to our team about infrared and UV for textile finishing

We work with textile finishers, coatings formulators and equipment manufacturers across the UK, Europe and North America (we supply globally). The right IR or UV specification depends on your substrate, your coating chemistry, your line speed, and where your current process is falling short.

If you're working through your PFAS transition and want to understand what IR and UV technology can bring to your process, we'd love to have that conversation.

Request a technical consultation

You can also explore our full infrared and UV ranges or download our product datasheets to share with your process engineering team.

Browse our infrared range
Browse our UV curing range