In spring 2024, we were finally ready to introduce our brand-new Airfryer – not only featuring an exciting new function, but also a PFAS-free coating. Since then, we’ve launched several products with the same PFAS-free technology.
Philip, our Product Manager, tells us more:
The airfryer trend has been hot for a long time – and we’re convinced it’s here to stay.
Cooking with an airfryer is easy, delicious, and a great way to prepare food with less fat. That’s why we chose to start with airfryers in our journey toward offering products without PFAS in surfaces that come into contact with food.
Background on PFAS-Free Non-Stick Coating
Since 2021, we’ve been actively working with the highly relevant issue of PFAS. In short, PFAS refers to a group of chemicals that are extremely difficult to break down, which means they accumulate in nature, our food, our drinking water – and in our bodies. There are over 10,000 known PFAS substances, but only a few hundred are currently banned. The EU aims to prohibit them all, but the road to a total ban is long.
The Journey Toward a Ceramic Coating – Without PFAS
In 2022, we joined the industry project group “PFAS POPFREE Industri,” where companies from various sectors came together to share knowledge about PFAS – where it's used, what alternatives exist, and how it might be broken down.
At Champion, we chose to focus on PFAS in non-stick coatings – the surfaces of our products that come into contact with food. Since this is still a relatively new area, we faced many challenges. Many factories didn’t understand what we were looking for, so we began educating them about PFAS and its implications. We worked closely with both existing and new suppliers.
A key principle for us was to never compromise. If we were to launch a coating free from PFAS, we had to be completely certain it truly was. Many factories claimed their ceramic coatings were PFAS-free, but testing revealed they were only free from the currently banned compounds – not all PFAS. Ceramic coatings are sometimes marketed as PFAS-free, so consumers need to be vigilant.
Our Coating – Tested and Verified
After much searching and many long conversations, we finally found a factory that could deliver a coating completely free from PFAS. This was verified through a specific “Total Fluorine” test. It has taken both knowledge and persistence to reach this solution – but every step has been worth it.
This coating is now used in our new Airfryer, and we’re proud to offer a product that not only delivers high quality, smart features, and great value – but is also better for the future.
Unfortunately, one coating doesn’t work for every product, so for each new item with a PFAS-free coating, we must go through the entire process again to ensure we always deliver what we promise. And we’re more than willing to do that – because delivering on our promise matters.
There’s a lot of talk about PFAS in the media right now. It’s not always easy to understand the full scope of what PFAS is and what it means.
We asked a few questions to Tobias Wendrup, Head of Sustainability at Order Nordic:
Where is PFAS used – and what exactly is it?
PFAS is used to make many products resistant to grease, dirt, and water. You’ll find it in food packaging, coated frying pans and cookware, cosmetics, outdoor clothing, and fire-fighting foam.
In short, PFAS is a group of fluorine-based chemicals that are extremely resistant to breakdown. As a result, these substances end up in our environment, food, water, and bodies.
There are an estimated 10,000+ known PFAS compounds, but only a limited number are currently banned. The EU aims to ban all of them, but the journey toward a full ban is long.
There is strong scientific evidence that some PFAS compounds – such as PFOA and PFOS – are harmful to human health. While data is still limited on many PFAS compounds, there is growing concern that all of them may be harmful.
Why are PFOA and PFOS banned – but not the rest?
PFOA and PFOS are no longer allowed to be deliberately added to products and are banned above certain levels. This is due to both their extreme persistence and proven negative health effects, including cancer, reproductive issues, hormone disruption, and reduced immune response to antibiotics.
Very few PFAS compounds have been studied as extensively as PFOA and PFOS, but more and more are showing similar risks. Since PFAS substances share similar chemical structures, it’s likely that many behave in the same way.
Banning individual substances takes a long time, which is why Sweden and the EU are now looking at regulating or banning PFAS as an entire group.
Why are PFAS so difficult to break down?
PFAS compounds have extremely strong bonds between fluorine and carbon – one of the strongest in chemistry. These bonds make them practically impossible to break, which is why PFAS are often referred to as “forever chemicals.” Because they don’t degrade, they pose long-term risks to humans, animals, and the environment.
Is it true that all PFAS substances contain fluorine?
Yes. All PFAS compounds contain fluorine. When we test for PFAS in our products, we specifically look for the presence of fluorine, as it’s a reliable indicator of whether a product or surface has been made with or treated using PFAS.
As a consumer, how can I know if a product is PFAS-free? Can I check the label?
Currently, product labels don’t list whether or not PFAS is present, and there’s no standardized certification to look for (except in some categories, like the “Good Environmental Choice” label in Sweden for cosmetics, which excludes PFAS-containing products).
So the best approach is to ask directly whether a product is PFAS-free.
At Order Nordic, we’re actively working to replace PFAS-containing coatings in our home and kitchen products with PFAS-free alternatives. Our goal is to eventually ensure all relevant products are completely free from PFAS.
What’s the difference for me as a consumer if I choose this airfryer from Champion, which has a PFAS-free coating?
From a health perspective:
By choosing a product with a PFAS-free coating, you reduce the risk of PFAS exposure from this potential source.
Today, high levels of PFAS are found in drinking water in many areas, and in some cases, the levels are so high that people exceed the safe intake level established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) simply by drinking the water.
Studies suggest that PFAS exposure costs society an estimated €58–84 billion annually due to health-related consequences.
By choosing PFAS-free alternatives, you help shift demand toward safer, healthier options.
From an environmental perspective:
PFAS compounds are synthetic and do not occur naturally. They can spread through air and water and contaminate soil, waterways, and ecosystems.
Pollution occurs both during production and disposal – and even during use (e.g., fire-fighting foam, impregnated textiles, ski wax).
PFAS contamination harms ecosystems, and cleanup is extremely costly.
It’s estimated that decontaminating the most polluted sites will cost €17–170 billion over the next 20 years – and that’s only for the worst-affected areas. We will likely never be able to fully remove PFAS from soil, water, animals, and plants, which means exposure through food will continue.
By choosing PFAS-free products, you help reduce the spread of pollution that damages our ecosystems.
