Due to a variety of unique properties, including excellent water and oil repellence, high thermal stability, the substance class of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated compounds is found in a broad portfolio of coatings. PFAS are a class of thousands of substances that have been produced since the 1940s and used in a broad range of consumer products and industrial applications. PFAS contain both fluoro-carbon and hydro-carbon segments where the non-fluorinated part can degrade and ultimately form perfluorinated PFAS acids, such as PFOA and PFOS. Based on these EU objectives, new toxicity-free coatings with the same functionalities than coatings based on PFAS and minimizing the environmental footprint of the new coatings in particular on climate change, resource use, ecosystems and biodiversity from a life cycle perspective represent a challenge. To identify and fully understand the key challenges and the corresponding research needs TORNADO project aims to contribute to the transition to a safe circular economy by influencing how products should be designed, produced, used or treated at their end-of-life. To achieve the main objective, new organic and hybrid free-toxic coatings with water and oil repellence that are safe and deliver environmental, societal, and/or economical value through their applications (packaging, textile, and kitchenware) will be developed. Moreover, these coatings must accelerate the transition towards a circular economy and climate neutral society and prevent harm to human health and the environment throughout the life cycle, besides enhancing the competitiveness of the European chemical industry and its value chain. TORNADO is going to regain competitiveness for the EU chemical industry bringing sustainable solutions across various sectors, i.e. textiles, packaging and kitchenware, by developing new biobased coatings free of toxic compounds as PFAS
