| PFAS PASS Compliance Systems | PFASPass.com
What are PFAS?
PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are a class of thousands of synthetic chemicals that have been used in manufacturing since the 1940s. You may know them by their nickname: forever chemicals. They earned that name because they do not break down in the environment or in the human body. They accumulate over time in water, soil, food sources, and living tissue. Scientific research has linked PFAS exposure to increased risk of certain cancers, liver damage, immune system disruption, thyroid disease, and developmental harm in children.PFAS have been used across consumer goods manufacturing for decades — in fabric treatments, water-repellent coatings, nonstick cookware finishes, food packaging, cosmetics, children’s products, and more. They made products perform better. They also made them dangerous. Regulators in New York, California, and multiple other states have now enacted restrictions — and in many categories outright bans — on PFAS in consumer products. Those restrictions are active and enforceable now.If you have purchased consumer goods since January 2025 this affects you.
We coined a term. Because the thing needed a name.
In working through the case studies that led to the development of the PFAS PASS Buyer Audit Claims system, we kept running into the same problem — consumers and buyers who had purchased potentially non-compliant goods had no idea they might have a claim basis because they didn’t live in New York or California. They assumed the regulations didn’t apply to them.
They were wrong. And the reason they were wrong needed a name.
We’re calling it PFAS Drift™.
PFAS Drift™ is a PFAS PASS original concept describing the two pathways by which PFAS-regulated goods move through commerce in ways that establish regulatory jurisdiction — and consumer claim rights — beyond the point of original purchase.
There are two directions:
PFAS Drift In™ — the pathway by which PFAS-regulated goods enter US commerce through a regulated state. Imported through California or New York ports. Warehoused or distributed from regulated state facilities. Branded, designed, or owned by companies headquartered in New York or California. When goods Drift In through a regulated state, compliance obligations attach at that entry point regardless of where the goods ultimately land or where the buyer is located.
PFAS Drift Out™ — the pathway by which PFAS-regulated goods reach a regulated market after purchase. Sold to a New York or California customer. Shipped to a regulated state address. Gifted to someone in a regulated state. Built into finished goods sold or shipped into a regulated market. Donated, transferred, or given away into New York or California. When goods Drift Out into a regulated market, the original buyer may retain a compliance claim basis even if they no longer have the goods in their possession.
A single purchase can involve both. Goods that Drifted In through the Port of Long Beach and then Drifted Out when you gifted them to your mother in New York at Christmas carry dual jurisdiction triggers — and one of the strongest claim bases in the system.
We are announcing this terminology here, first, as a PFAS PASS original concept. If you see it anywhere else, it came from us.
What this means for you — right now — before our automated system is ready
New York and California enacted PFAS restrictions on apparel and multiple other consumer goods categories effective January 1, 2025. Similar restrictions apply to food packaging, cosmetics, cookware, children’s products, home goods, and other categories depending on jurisdiction.
If you have purchased goods in any of these categories since January 2025 — and those goods involve either PFAS Drift In™ or PFAS Drift Out™ — you may have a basis to request a refund through your payment processor or bank.
You do not need to wait for our automated system to launch to start this process. You can start right now. Today. With your email inbox.
Here is exactly how.
How to Start Your Own Buyer Audit Claim Right Now
Step 1 — Find your order confirmation email
Go to your email inbox and search for order confirmations, shipping notifications, or purchase receipts from January 2025 forward. Look for purchases in these categories:
Clothing, outerwear, athletic wear, swimwear, dancewear, uniforms, costumes, children’s clothing, shoes, handbags, accessories, home textiles, bedding, rugs, cookware, food packaging, cosmetics, children’s products, pet goods, or maker and sewing supplies.
Step 2 — Check for PFAS Drift
Ask yourself:
PFAS Drift In™ — does any of the following apply?
- Is the brand headquartered in New York or California?
- Did you buy from a New York or California based seller or marketplace — Etsy, eBay, TikTok Shop, Instagram Shop, Facebook Marketplace, or a brand with NY or CA headquarters?
- Does the item have a country of origin label showing it was manufactured overseas — meaning it likely entered through a US port, with a high probability of entry through Los Angeles, Long Beach, or New York?
- Did it ship from a California or New York warehouse or fulfillment center?
PFAS Drift Out™ — does any of the following apply?
- Do you live in New York or California?
- Did you ship this to a New York or California address?
- Did you gift this to someone in New York or California?
- Did you use these materials to make something you sold or shipped to a New York or California customer?
- Did you give away or donate these goods to someone in a regulated state?
If you answered yes to any of these — in either direction — you may have a claim basis. Keep reading.
Step 3 — Reply to your order confirmation
This is the step most people don’t realize they can take.
Hit reply on your order confirmation email — or find the seller’s contact email through the platform — and forward to send this exact message:
Subject: PFAS Compliance Documentation Request — Order [your order number]
Hello,
I am writing to request PFAS compliance documentation for the following item purchased from your store:
Item: [product name] Order Number: [order number] Purchase Date: [date]
New York and California have enacted PFAS restrictions on apparel and other consumer goods categories effective January 1, 2025. As a buyer I am requesting a certificate of compliance, third-party laboratory test results, or equivalent documentation confirming this item meets applicable PFAS compliance requirements for the specific SKU listed above.
Please provide this documentation within 10 business days. If documentation cannot be provided please advise on your refund process.
Thank you.
Copy it. Paste it. Send it. That’s it.
Step 4 — Document everything
Screenshot or save the email you sent. Screenshot or save any response you receive. If you receive no response after 10 business days that non-response is itself a documented finding — the seller was given the opportunity to provide compliance documentation and did not.
Save the original order confirmation. Save the product listing if you can still access it. Note any PFAS-free or compliance claims the seller made at the time of purchase — in the listing, on the product page, on packaging, or in marketing materials.
Step 5 — Contact your bank or payment processor
If the seller cannot provide compliance documentation — or does not respond — contact your bank, credit card company, PayPal, or payment platform and initiate a dispute. Reference the item, the purchase date, and the fact that the seller was unable to provide documentation confirming the product meets applicable PFAS compliance requirements for the regulated market in which it was sold or delivered.
Different payment methods have different dispute windows and processes. Credit cards generally offer the strongest dispute rights. PayPal has its own buyer protection program. Debit cards have dispute processes through your bank. Buy now pay later platforms — AfterPay, Klarna, and similar — have their own buyer protection policies.
Step 6 — Submit your SKU to PFAS PASS
While you are working your claim, submit your SKU to the PFAS PASS Buyer Audit Claims waitlist using the form below. Your submission:
- Gets added to our testing database
- Helps us calibrate the live BAC system before launch
- Puts the seller on notice through bac@pfaspass.com that a compliance review is underway
- Connects you to the full BAC system when it launches
You will be notified at the email you provide when your SKU has been reviewed and when the live system is available.
Why this works — and why more buyers means more compliance
The PFAS PASS Buyer Audit Claims system was built after our case studies revealed a fundamental imbalance. Compliance gaps in the consumer goods supply chain significantly outnumber the regulatory enforcement resources available to close them. Regulators move slowly. Consumer purchasing power does not.
There are more buyers than non-compliant sellers. When buyers begin requesting compliance documentation at scale — and filing payment disputes when it cannot be provided — the financial pressure on non-compliant brands becomes immediate. A regulatory letter takes years. A chargeback hits today.
We call this the Ant Strategy. Individual buyers acting independently, each filing one claim, collectively create upstream compliance pressure the supply chain cannot ignore. A relatively small number of suppliers serve a very large number of buyers. The leverage is real. The mechanism is proven. We tested it ourselves — repeatedly — before we built the system.
You don’t need to understand PFAS chemistry. You don’t need to be a lawyer. You don’t need to live in New York or California. You need an order confirmation email, five minutes, and the template above.
What qualifies — a quick reference
Categories active since January 2025: Clothing and apparel of all types, athletic and performance wear, uniforms and workwear, costumes, children’s clothing, footwear, handbags and accessories, home textiles and bedding, rugs, upholstered furniture, cookware and nonstick bakeware, food packaging and contact materials, cosmetics and personal care products, children’s products, pet goods, and maker and sewing supplies.
Jurisdiction triggers — any one of these may qualify your purchase:
- You live in or shipped to New York or California
- You gifted goods to someone in New York or California
- You used materials in goods sold or given to someone in New York or California
- The brand is headquartered in New York or California
- The goods were sold through a New York or California based marketplace or platform
- The goods were imported — likely through a California or New York port
- The goods shipped from a California or New York fulfillment center
Purchases must be:
- Made on or after January 1, 2025
- New goods — not used or secondhand
- Paid by a traceable payment method — credit card, debit card, PayPal, BNPL, or similar
Submit Your SKU — Join the BAC Waitlist
The PFAS PASS Buyer Audit Claims automated system is currently in development. While we build it, submit your SKU below. Your submission routes to bac@pfaspass.com, gets added to our testing database, and puts the seller on notice that a compliance review is underway. You will be notified when your SKU has been reviewed and when the live system launches.
This form is for post-purchase review — goods you have already bought. Looking to check compliance before you buy? Visit the PFAS PASS VERIFIED system
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BAC SKU Review — Post-Purchase Compliance Waitlist
Submit a SKU for PFAS compliance review. Routes to bac@pfaspass.com.
PFAS PASS provides systems-based audit and documentation support. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. PFAS PASS does not guarantee refund outcomes. Claim success depends on the specific facts of each transaction and the policies of the relevant payment processor, marketplace, or financial institution.
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