Case study 02
PFAS Desk
A service that prepares and files state PFAS product reports for small outdoor, apparel, ski wax and cookware brands. We designed and built the site from a blank file: a rain jacket taken apart layer by layer to show which state asks about which material, an interactive state-by-state rules map, the supplier follow-up shown step by step, flat published prices, and a home page of 0.12 MB.
- Sector
- Regulatory compliance services
- Starting point
- A blank file
- Shipped
- 2026
- Scope
- Design & build, from scratch
The starting point
A dense regulation and a small-brand buyer
PFAS Desk prepares and files the product reports that Minnesota, Washington, New Mexico and Connecticut now require from brands whose products contain intentionally added PFAS. Its customers are small outdoor, apparel, footwear, ski wax and cookware brands, and it had no website.
The subject is hard to sell. The rules differ by state and by product type, change often, and arrive in legal language. A small brand owner wants to know three things quickly: whether any of it applies to them, what it takes, and what it costs. The site had to answer those without reading like a law firm or giving legal advice.
And the real work is invisible. Filing the form takes an hour; getting a fabric mill overseas to answer takes weeks. The site had to show that part of the job, the requests, follow-ups and written record, so a visitor understands what they are paying for.
Where it landed → see the live site
pfasdesk.com: a rain jacket taken apart layer by layer, each layer tagged with the states that ask about it
Where the question starts
A retailer asks for PFAS paperwork, and the owner checks on a phone
The first question is always the same: does this apply to me? So the phone opens on the four state deadlines and the days left on each, with a link straight to the states that apply. Further down, pick a product type and the map and its plain list say which states want a report, which ban the product and which have no rule yet, followed by the steps, the prices and the questions owners actually ask.
The whole thing, end to end
Every section, earned
Scroll the homepage top to bottom: the layered rain jacket, the supplier follow-up shown as a real thread, the state rules map by product type, the five steps, flat prices, the evidence pack a brand keeps, and the FAQ.
What we measured
Real numbers, not adjectives
The live homepage, measured October 2026. These are genuine readings — no invented stats, ever.
- 99Performance
Google Lighthouse score, /100
Performance
Google's overall grade for how fast the page feels to load.
99 of 100 on mobile, on a home page that carries an interactive map of every state.
- 0.12 MBPage weight
everything the home page downloads
Page weight
The total size of everything a phone has to download to show the home page.
An eighth of a megabyte, map included, so it loads at once on any connection.
- 100Accessibility
Google Lighthouse score, /100
Accessibility
How well the page works with a keyboard and a screen reader.
A perfect 100, with the map's information also given as a plain list.
- 100SEO
Google Lighthouse score, /100
SEO
How cleanly the page is structured for search engines to read.
A perfect 100, findable from launch.
Measured with Google Lighthouse, mobile, median of five runs, October 2026. Run it yourself against the live site.
What shipped
Everything every Harbor Tree build includes
- A rain jacket drawn in its layers, face fabric, membrane, lining and seam tape, each tagged with the states that ask about it, so an owner sees why one product means several questions
- An interactive US map of PFAS rules by product type, with a plain list beside it that says the same thing in words for screen readers and anyone without JavaScript
- The supplier follow-up shown as an example thread, so the hardest part of the service is seen rather than described
- Five steps, each with how long it takes and what the brand has to do
- Flat, published prices and deadlines, set out so an owner can budget before the first call
- The evidence pack a brand keeps, and an FAQ answering the questions owners ask first
- A 99 performance score on mobile, a home page of 0.12 MB, and perfect 100s for accessibility and SEO
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