“The End of Forever” — how industrial-scale PFAS destruction is changing the conversation
A major feature story and video companion from Newsweek, by six-time Emmy Award-winning television producer Arick Wierson, is putting a spotlight on one of the largest publicly announced industrial PFAS destruction projects to date. A partnership between Claros Technologies and Daikin America that treated more than 170,000 gallons of on-site industrial wastewater, achieving 99.99% destruction of targeted PFAS compounds — including ultra-short chain and legacy compounds that have historically been difficult to destroy at high-flow rates typical of industrial operations.
▶ Watch the full interview with Claros CEO Michelle Bellanca and journalist Arick Wierson
“In one of the largest industrial-scale demonstrations of its kind, Claros’ UV-based reactors eliminated 99.99 percent of targeted PFAS from hundreds of thousands of gallons of wastewater……including compounds that have historically been difficult to destroy.”
— The End of Forever, Newsweek, July 16, 2026
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have long been dubbed “forever chemicals” for their inability to naturally break down easily. They present what we at Claros like to call the “PFAS Paradox”: indispensable to manufacturing everything from semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, smartphones and aerospace systems, yet accumulating in the environment, with global societal and cleanup costs projected to reach into the trillions of dollars.
For decades, the operating assumption was that once created, PFAS could never be destroyed. As detailed in The End of Forever, projects like the Claros-Daikin partnership are challenging that assumption — and shifting the conversation from whether destruction is theoretically possible to how quickly proven industrial solutions can be deployed. ClarosTechUV™ PFAS Destruction System can permanently destroy PFAS on site at manufacturing facilities, helping ensure the problem becomes a legacy issue rather than an ongoing, worsening one.
The Problem with Status Quo Remediation
Traditional methods of dealing with PFAS have historically focused on managing these substances after they’ve already entered waste streams — capturing PFAS and hauling them long distances to specialized facilities for storage in landfill, deep-well injection or high-temperature incineration.
As regulatory bodies — including the EPA in the United States and the European Chemicals Agency under the REACH framework — push for total bans or tighter restrictions, much of the regulatory discussion still reflects the long-standing assumption that PFAS in water is a permanent engineering challenge requiring ongoing management rather than destruction. Recent advances in PFAS destruction with technologies like ClarosTechUV™ have challenged that assumption.
From Lab to Industrial Scale: Claros Leads the Charge
The Newsweek piece highlights a significant shift in the industry: moving away from reactive management and toward sustainable use for essential applications underpinned by destruction at the source.
Instead of moving target compounds from one place to another, ClarosTechUV™ targets and breaks the exceptionally durable carbon-fluorine bonds that make all PFAS species (long, short and especially ultra-short chains) so persistent. By cost-effectively treating industrial wastewater, on-site and at high flow, PFAS can be destroyed before entering municipal water systems — providing a permanent cost effective solution as opposed to solutions that merely “kick the can down the road.”
Equally important is verification. As PFAS destruction technologies mature, advanced analytical capabilities play a critical role in measuring performance, validating outcomes, and building confidence among regulators and industrial operators.
“A new generation of technologies is proving it’s possible to take the ‘forever’ out of ‘forever chemicals,’” says Claros Technologies CEO Michelle Bellanca. “And these breakthroughs change the equation. It’s no longer a binary choice, and regulators now need to catch up — because in many essential uses, there is no substitute for PFAS.”
Changing the Equation
The emerging reality of industrial-scale PFAS destruction has significant implications for industry, local government, regulators, and communities worldwide. While policymakers in the U.S. and Europe continue to evaluate restrictions and phase-outs for certain PFAS applications, a proven technology like ClarosTechUV™ is capable of permanently destroying PFAS at the source and offering a new path forward — one that supports both environmental protection and responsible use of PFAS in essential applications.
“More and more companies recognize that permanently destroying all forms of PFAS at the source is a smarter long-term strategy than simply capturing or transferring waste…. ‘Forever’ may no longer have to mean forever.”
— Michelle Bellanca, CEO and Co-Founder, Claros Technologies
What was once viewed as an unavoidable condition is now an engineering solution that is proven and commercially available.
▶ See the full interview with Claros CEO Michelle Bellanca
To learn how ClarosTechUV™ can support your PFAS treatment goals, talk to an expert.