Ahead.Together. Visa webbversion Competitive skiing without fluorinated ski waxes? Date: 26th -27th of August, 2019 Place:  RISE Research Institutes of Sweden,  Drottning Kristinasväg 61, Stockholm Please register here. Deadline to register August 19th. POPFREE Ski Goes Global invites you to participate in a 2-day workshop, to discuss the prerequisites and obstacles for a potential phase-out of fluorinated waxes in competitive skiing.  Together with players from the whole skiing community ranging from ski wax producers, ski wax technicians and skiers to competition organizers and ski federations, we will identify and initiate key actions and activities for a reduced use of fluorinated waxes in international competitive skiing. The workshop will start in a background to the topic, present recent findings and ongoing activities to lay the ground for a fruitful discussion of the possibilities to phase out fluorin in competitive skiing. The workshop goal is to set the foundation for a roadmap towards fluorine-free international ski competitions. Background PFAS are highly fluorinated man-made chemicals that are used in ski wax for their excellent water and dirt repellence properties, to reduce ski friction against snow. PFAS has gained increased attention globally over the past twenty years, as they are widespread in nature, have been demonstrated in relatively high levels in animals and human blood and have also been linked to a number of health concerns.   Over this last year, the skiing community has started to take action. For winter 2018/19, the Norwegian Ski Association has banned fluorinated ski waxes for children and youth competitions up to age 16. In collaboration with environmental institute NILU, a test method for presence of PFAS has been developed and pilot tested. Vasaloppet in Sweden removed all fluorinated waxes from their own ski waxing services for the winter 2019 races and recommended participants to ski fluorine-free. The Swedish Ski Association has made guidelines for work environment and waste handling of fluorinated waxes, and trialed them in a couple of national races. National teams both in Norway and Sweden have contracted new sponsors offering non-fluorinated ski waxes. A few smaller ski races and local clubs in Norway and Sweden have trialed voluntary regulations to remove fluorinated ski waxes. Find more information about PFAS and the health and environmental risks in the context of skiing here. Target group for the workshop Ski competition organisers such as Visma Ski Classics, Birkebeinerennet, Marciolonga, Vasaloppet etc. National ski associations from leading skiing countries such as Norway, Sweden, Canada, Switzerland, France, Germany. The International Ski Federation (FIS) Elite skier representatives Professional wax technician representatives Wax manufacturers such as Swix, ScanGlide, Vauhti, Rex, Rode, Holmenkol, Start Companies/organizations with possible techniques for screening of PFAS under skis before/after competition Policy makers such as Environmental Protection Agencies and/or Chemical Agencies in respective countries Agenda 26th  of August  09:30 - 10:00  Registration & coffee 10:00 – 11:30 Welcome and background to the topic 11:30 – 12:00 Introduction to the CoCreation concept 12:15 – 13:15  Lunch 13:15 – 14:45 Workshop  14:45 -  15:00  Coffee 15:00 – 16:30 Workshop  16:30 – 17:00 Summary of the day 27th of August  08:30 - 09:00  Coffee 09:00 – 11:45 Workshop 12:00 – 13:00 Lunch 13:00 – 14:30 Workshop 14:30 - 15:00 Coffee 15:00 – 16:00 Concluding remarks and next steps Participation The workshop is free of charge. The participant that have not cancelled their participation 24 h before the workshop will be charged 500 SEK. Registration Please register here. Deadline to register August 19th. Contact  Lisa Skedung, RISE lisa.skedung@ri.se; +46 70 619 60 16 Joel Svedlund, Peak Innovation joel.svedlund@peakinnovation.se; +46 70 621 21 76 POPFREE Ski Goes Global The project is a pre-study, financed by Vinnova, with the aim to initiate a coordinated process aiming at increasing awareness of health and environmental aspects associated to the use of ski waxes containing per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in leading skiing countries and to pave the way for a reduced use of fluorinated waxes at an international level through the identification and initiation of key activities and actions. The partners in the project are RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Peak Innovation, Brav Norway AS, Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF and the Swedish Chemicals Agency. Accommodation & Transportation details We kindly ask participants to book their own hotel.  See info.   Personal Data Processing. RISE Research Institutes of Sweden RISE is the Swedish Research Institute and innovation partner. In international collaboration with industry, academia and the public sector, we ensure the competitiveness of the business community and contribute to a sustainable society. Our 2,700 employees support and promote all manner of innovative processes. RISE is an independent, state-owned research institute that offers unique expertise and about 100 testbeds and demonstration facilities, instrumental in future-proofing technologies, products and services. www.ri.se  Kontakta oss Avregistrera dig Skicka vidare till en vän RISE Research Institutes of Sweden www.ri.se