Last week, REI Co-op stores around the country closed for Black Friday. It's a company tradition dating back to 2015, where the outdoor retailer asks customers to "opt outside" rather than participate in a post-Thanksgiving shopping spree.
But there's one thing that REI hasn't yet opted out of: a class of compounds known as "forever chemicals." By using these chemicals in its water-resistant outdoor clothing, a coalition of nonprofits and health experts says REI is needlessly polluting the environment and damaging people's health.
