Last week, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) signed one of the nation’s strictest laws (HF 2310) regulating the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in consumer products. Similar to the state of Maine, the new law requires manufacturers to submit detailed reports on products containing PFAS to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency beginning in 2026, while banning the sale all products with PFAS by 2032. This was enacted as part of a larger $670 million environmental omnibus bill that advanced through the Minnesota Legislature in recent months and represents the most prominent example of Maine’s PFAS regulations being used as model framework for larger states to adopt. While there will be an extensive rulemaking process over the next two years that is likely paired with a legislative effort to delay and modify the PFAS provisions in Minnesota, WDMA members should internally investigate their own use of PFAS to make a determination about whether Minnesota’s new law applies to their products.

Below are important dates from Minnesota’s HF 2310 that could affect WDMA members.

• January 1, 2025 – The following products are banned from being sold in Minnesota if they contain PFAS: carpets or rugs; cleaning products; cookware; cosmetics; dental floss; fabric treatments; juvenile products; menstruation products; textile furnishings; ski wax; or upholstered furniture.
• January 1, 2026 –  Manufacturers of consumer products with PFAS must submit reports to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
• January 1, 2032 – A person may not sell, offer for sale, or distribute for sale in Minnesota any product that contains intentionally added PFAS, unless the commissioner has determined by rule that the use of PFAS in the product is a currently unavoidable use. The commissioner may specify specific products or product categories for which the commissioner has determined the use of PFAS is a currently unavoidable use.
  
  

In consideration of recent developments in Maine and Minnesota, WDMA is hosting a session on PFAS laws and regulations during the Technical & Manufacturing Conference in Minneapolis from June 27-29, 2023.

WDMA members with questions may contact Jacob Carter, WDMA’s Director of Government Affairs, at [email protected].

The Window & Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) announced its new leadership team which was installed at the WDMA Board of Directors meeting on March 31. At the meeting, the Board elected Emily Videtto of Pella Corporation as the association's 2023-2025 chair. She replaces outgoing Chair Steve Tourek of Marvin, who will become immediate past chair.

"I am honored to serve the board and work with an outstanding group of manufacturers, suppliers, and the staff at WDMA. We continue to navigate a number of challenging industry dynamics including labor shortages and rapidly changing public policy," said Videtto. "I look forward to working together to amplify our collective voices and influence progress as we strive to serve our customers with high quality windows, doors and skylights."

Emily Videtto is Pella Corporation's Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, leading the enterprise's go-to-market strategy and innovation engine. Founded in 1925 and headquarted in Pella, Iowa, Pella Corporation has designed and built high-quality, innovative windows and doors for nearly a century. Today, the Company has 19 manufacturing locations, over 250 showrooms, and more than 10,000 team members across its family of brands. Pella has received nearly two dozen innovation accolades, including Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies award for the second consecutive year, and is also recognized as one of America's top employers by Newsweek and Forbes. 

“I am looking forward to working with Emily as WDMA’s new chair. Her knowledge, creativity and dedication to advancing the industry and the association will be invaluable as we take on the challenges facing the industry on several fronts and help take the association to the next level,” said WDMA President and CEO Michael O’Brien. “I also want to acknowledge outgoing Chair Steve Tourek for his outstanding leadership and dedication to WDMA during a particularly challenging time for the industry.”

In addition to Videtto, the other members of the 2023-2024 WDMA Executive Committee are:

• Vice Chair/Treasurer: Jeff De Lonay, Kolbe Windows & Doors, Wausau, WI
• Executive Committee Door Representative: Fenton Challgren, Therma-Tru Doors, Maumee, OH
• Executive Committee Window Representative: Andrea Nordaune, Andersen Corporation, Bayport, MN
• Executive Committee Supplier Representative: Dave Pinder, Cardinal Glass Industries, Eden Prairie, MN
• Immediate Past Chair: Steve Tourek, Marvin, St. Paul, MN