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Eliminating PFAS pollutants bring fresh opportunities for water investments

21-07-2021 · Insight

Eliminating PFAS pollutants bring fresh opportunities for water investments

PFAS are chemicals that may be in your backyard but also in your living room, kitchen, bathroom and tap water. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (or PFAS for short) are not only everywhere, they also have earned the notorious moniker of “forever chemicals.” They don’t break down naturally and so accumulate in the environment and the human body.

    Authors

  • Jindapa (Amy) Wanner-Thavornsuk CFA - Co-Portfolio Manager

    Jindapa (Amy) Wanner-Thavornsuk CFA

    Co-Portfolio Manager

Top keywords

Summary

  1. Some PFAS banned, others still used in industry and consumers products

  2. Research still exploring link to health and environmental impacts

  3. Regulation and clean up technologies creating tailwinds for water

PFAS is not a single chemical but rather a broad class of chemicals (more than 4,700) that are widely used in industrial processes and consumer goods. The two most notorious PFAS (PFOA and PFOS sub-groups) are confirmed to cause serious health issues and pose a risk to public health. For this reason, many countries have banned their production, but efforts are still needed to clean up contamination in water supplies and soils.

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Increasing product sophistication means waste is becoming more complex (and dangerous)

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just recently issued a regulatory determination for PFOA and PFOS, an important step in establishing minimum allowable concentration levels in public water supplies. Similar measures are in effect across the EU and in other countries worldwide. 

But besides PFOA and PFOS, thousands of other PFAS are still produced and used across the global economy. The confirmed risks of just a few has put the entire group under closer scrutiny.   

Given tighter regulatory environments and heightened public awareness, the market for treating and remediating PFAS pollutants already in water supplies is expected to swell.  In March, the Biden administration announced more than a hundred billion USD in funding to build a resilient water infrastructure that includes decontaminating and monitoring PFAS in US soil and water supplies. Moving forward, investments are expected to expand for test-detection analytics, filtering systems, and safe waste disposal technologies in water and waste management utilities and across industries that use and produce PFAS.  

Knowledge of the full impact of all PFAS is still unclear. What is clear is that society and the man-made products it consumes are growing ever more sophisticated. Increasing product sophistication means waste is becoming more complex (and dangerous). In future, the power and precision of basic services like supplying safe water and providing effective waste treatment must also increase to protect public health and natural resources.  

Steady growth streams should lift investments across the water value chain in the next decade.

Read the full article


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Important information This disclaimer applies to any documents and the verbal or written comments of any person in presentations or webinars on this website and taken together is referred to herein as the “Information”. The services to which the Information relate are NOT FOR RETAIL CLIENTS - The information contained in the Website is solely intended for professional investors, defined as investors which (1) qualify as professional clients within the meaning of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID), (2) have requested to be treated as professional clients within the meaning of the MiFID or (3) are authorized to receive such information under any other applicable laws and must not be relied or acted upon by any other persons. This Information does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any financial product, and may not be relied upon in connection with the purchase or sale of any financial product. You are cautioned against using this Information as the basis for making a decision to purchase any financial product. To the extent that you rely on the Information in connection with any investment decision, you do so at your own risk. The Information does not purport to be complete on any topic addressed. The Information may contain data or analysis prepared by third parties and no representation or warranty about the accuracy of such data or analysis is provided.
In all cases where historical performance is presented, please note that past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results and should not be relied upon as the basis for making an investment decision. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested. Neither Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. nor any of its affiliates guarantees the performance or the future returns of any investments. If the currency in which the past performance is displayed differs from the currency of the country in which you reside, then you should be aware that due to exchange rate fluctuations the performance shown may increase or decrease if converted into your local currency. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. (“Robeco”) expressly prohibits any redistribution of the Information without the prior written consent of Robeco. The Information is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use is contrary to law, rule or regulation. Certain information contained in the Information includes calculations or figures that have been prepared internally and have not been audited or verified by a third party. Use of different methods for preparing, calculating or presenting information may lead to different results. Robeco Institutional Asset Management UK Limited (“RIAM UK”) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. RIAM UK, 30 Fenchurch Street, Part Level 8, London EC3M 3BD (FCA Reference No:1007814). The company is registered in England and Wales under Ref No. 15362605.

In all cases where historical performance is presented, please note that past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results and should not be relied upon as the basis for making an investment decision. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested. Neither Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. nor any of its affiliates guarantees the performance or the future returns of any investments. If the currency in which the past performance is displayed differs from the currency of the country in which you reside, then you should be aware that due to exchange rate fluctuations the performance shown may increase or decrease if converted into your local currency. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. (“Robeco”) expressly prohibits any redistribution of the Information without the prior written consent of Robeco. The Information is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use is contrary to law, rule or regulation. Certain information contained in the Information includes calculations or figures that have been prepared internally and have not been audited or verified by a third party. Use of different methods for preparing, calculating or presenting information may lead to different results. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. is authorised as a manager of UCITS and AIFs by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets and subject to limited regulation in the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority. Details about the extent of our regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority are available from us on request.