The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) released a document with additional information about the state's PFAS in Consumer Products Law. The document — "Connecticut's PFAS in Consumer Products Law" — provides information to manufacturers, distributors, retailers and others about certain provisions of the law. Enacted in 2024, the act addresses the use [...]

BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water President Heather Lougheed and NASBLA Executive Board Chair Christopher Jones have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalizing the organizations’ shared commitment to advancing recreational boating safety, education and environmental stewardship. Through the partnership, the BoatUS Foundation and NASBLA will work together to identify opportunities that advance [...]

Denise Offray, owner and CEO of OTEX Specialty Narrow Fabrics®, passed away May 2, 2026. Denise dedicated her life to her family business and the textile industry. Starting as a teenager spending her summers working as a switchboard operator in the customer service department of C.M. Offray & Son, Denise would go on to play pivotal [...]

A federal judge has ruled that New Mexico's PFAS labeling rule, which was announced earlier this year, infringes on commercially protected speech. As a result, the regulation has been temporarily halted. The labeling rule is part of the New Mexico PFAS Protection Act and would require manufacturers to label consumer products that contain PFAS beginning [...]

Image: North Carolina State University Andre West, Ph.D., professor at North Carolina State University's Wilson College of Textiles and former director of Zeis Textiles Extension, passed away Sept. 10 at the age of 66. Born June 30, 1960, West earned his bachelor's degree in textile design from the University of Huddersfield in England. In 2009, [...]

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), alongside the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) and the European Boating Industry (EBI), launched a global industry questionnaire to assess the recreational marine sector's readiness to adopt a harmonized Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology.The survey forms a key part of the organizations' joint initiative to develop the first [...]

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed bill S1281 into law Aug. 27. The law prohibits the sale, manufacture and distribution of apparel and diaper products containing intentionally added PFAS beginning in 2028. Apparel The bill defines "apparel" as: Clothing items intended for regular wear or formal occasions including, but not limited to, undergarments, shirts, pants, [...]

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has upheld the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) 2024 decision to designate some "forever chemicals" as hazardous substances. The judges ruled Aug. 18 that the EPA was within its authority to designate the chemicals as hazardous. Additionally, the court rejected [...]

The National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) released new national survey findings from 2,000 active U.S. recreational boaters. The results show that congestion at ramps and marinas, limited storage availability, and waterway maintenance issues are widespread and impacting how often Americans boat. According to the survey, 80 percent of boat owners experience congestion at their primary [...]

West Marine Inc. announces that it has successfully emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, marking the completion of its comprehensive financial restructuring. The company exits Chapter 11 with increased flexibility to continue investing in the products and services customers know them for. West Marine has reduced its debt by more than $265 million and obtained an [...]