“Our waterbodies take the hit for the way we manage waste,” begins Dr. Karsten Klauke, Product Manager at Caldic Europe. “And when that waste is non-biodegradable - as it so often is - the cost is paid in environmental damage and public health.”
Karsten points to the waste management hierarchy as a guiding framework, with ‘prevention’ and ‘reduction’ at the top. “If you want to make the biggest difference, you start there,” he explains. “It’s not enough to clean up after the fact; you have to stop harmful substances from entering the water in the first place.”
One of the most pressing threats, he says, is from PFAS - per and polyfluorinated alkyl substances - known widely as ‘forever chemicals’. “They don’t break down. They seep into the soil, contaminate groundwater, and harm biodiversity. Yet, they’re still found everywhere - from cosmetics to medical supplies - because alternatives haven’t always been viable and regulations haven’t been strict enough.”
Caldic’s water treatment portfolio addresses this challenge from the ‘reduction’ angle. “We offer solutions that remove toxic substances from water before it’s discharged back into the environment,” he says. “It’s about making water safe for consumption while minimizing harm to ecosystems.”
But for Karsten, reduction is only part of the story. “We also want to prevent these pollutants from getting into the water at all,” he says. That’s where Furex’s fire safety solutions come in. “We saw the PFAS issue long before it was industry-wide news and started researching alternatives for fire extinguishers - products that would work just as effectively without using fluorine.”
The effort paid off. “After a lot of R&D, we moved from partially replacing fluorine with safer raw materials to creating entire ranges of extinguishers that are completely fluorine-free and mostly biodegradable, across all fire classes,” Karsten explains.
For him, the achievement is about more than product innovation. “This is not about solving a technical problem but preventing harmful chemicals like PFAS from entering water bodies in the first place. That’s the path to real environmental change: innovation that stops pollution before it happens.”
"PFAS-free extinguishing agents are crucial for minimizing environmental pollution and health risks, thus ensuring that we do not leave the burden of toxic and unusable water for future generations."
Today Industries prioritize sustainability and compliance. At Caldic we deliver smart solutions that support cleaner processes and environmental protection, leveraging our formulation expertise and broad portfolio. Together we help you meet compliance, satisfy stakeholders, reduce emissions and operate sustainably.
