New Jersey Considers Expanding PFAS Ban to Apparel

New Jersey lawmakers are weighing a ban on PFAS in apparel, which has already passed the state’s upper house unanimously.

The bill, S1281, would prohibit the manufacture or sale of apparel containing intentionally added PFAS two years after passage.  Apparel is defined broadly, encompassing items such as diapers, footwear, and outdoor apparel for severe wet conditions.  PPE, military apparel, and protective apparel designed to be used for the safe operation of a motorcycle or off-highway vehicle would be exempt.

S1281 builds on legislation New Jersey enacted earlier this year—the Protecting Against Forever Chemicals Act—which prohibits intentionally added PFAS in cosmetics, carpets, and food packaging.  The apparel bill would be integrated into that same framework, inheriting its definition of PFAS as “any member of the class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom,” as well as its exemption for technically unavoidable trace quantities.

The Protecting Against Forever Chemicals Act was signed into law on January 12, 2026.  Its sales prohibitions and a PFAS labeling requirement for cookware will take effect on January 12, 2028.

S1281 passed the New Jersey Senate on March 23, 2026, and referred to the Assembly.  The companion Assembly bill, A5048, was introduced May 11, 2026.