Only Hema lists PFAS-free pans among the 34 manufacturers checked

Manufacturers give consumers hardly any information on PFAS in their products, according to research by the Consumentenbond, the Dutch consumers' association. It examined the websites of 34 manufacturers and sellers. A search for PFAS turned up usable information on almost none of them.

Only Hema offers an overview of PFAS-free pans and baking products. No company listed the products that do contain the substances, the Consumentenbond says. PFAS is a group of chemicals used, among other things, to make products water-, grease- and dirt-repellent.

Customer services did not help either. The Tefal chatbot gave no information on the environmental damage of PTFE, a PFAS variant used in non-stick pans. The Etos chatbot tells people who ask about PFAS in make-up to ask the shop staff.

Consumers can do nothing with this. Sometimes companies even knowingly send consumers off in the wrong direction.Sandra Molenaar, director of the Consumentenbond

Molenaar says Tefal stresses that PTFE in its pans does not get into food during baking, but does not mention that PTFE does end up in the environment when the pans are made. Other manufacturers point out their products contain no PFOA or PFOS. Those substances are banned anyway, she says: "Consumers want to know what is in them."

The Consumentenbond also asked the 34 companies about their PFAS policy. Only four filled in the questionnaire in full: Auping, Bosch-Siemens, LG and Sony. They say they have a policy to reduce harmful substances. Albert Heijn, Hema and Unilever sent only a short e-mail saying they do their best, without concrete examples of measures.