笔辞濒补谤迟别肠鈥檚 synthetic insulation is now 100 percent recycled, with hollow fibers made entirely from reused plastic water bottles. When Polartec debuted the insulation听in 2017, it was made from 80 percent recycled materials. 鈥淲e鈥檝e remained laser-focused on how to overcome the technical challenges鈥 of making 100 percent recycled insulation, says Michael Cattanach, 笔辞濒补谤迟别肠鈥檚 global product director.
It鈥檚 not a huge leap, numbers-wise: the company already had a higher percentage of recycled fibers than anyone else in the industry. But according to Cattanach, closing that final 20 percent gap wasn鈥檛 simple. It came down to the melting point听of the recycled fibers. Bonding them together to create insulation with enough integrity听requires heat, and some of the materials had low melting points, making it necessary to add in some virgin material as well.听Polartec ultimately found a new technique that sidesteps听those temperature limitations, though they declined to describe it,听citing the proprietary nature of their process.听
Several apparel brands, including , , Giro, and听,听have signed on to make products using Power Fill insulation. , Bight Gear founder and a co-owner of guiding service Rainier Mountaineering, says that he prototyped a synthetic puffy belay coat with several different types of insulation. Power Fill was the warmest. 鈥淭o have a material that鈥檚 fully functional and also environmentally friendly is pretty incredible,鈥 he says.
Polartec isn鈥檛 the only company manufacturing insulation from recycled materials. makes its Gold, Silver, and Black听synthetics with varying amounts of recycled plastic, from 50 to 70 percent. But Polartec is the first听to go fully recycled. 鈥淎ny time a leader makes that kind of commitment, it sends a powerful signal to the market,鈥 says Jason Kibbey, CEO of the . 鈥淚t鈥檚 critical in creating tipping points, where the whole market shifts to more sustainable practices.鈥澨
Of course, making insulation out of recycled plastic听does little to solve the issue of microfilaments鈥攖iny plastic fragments that are shed听by听garments (particularly polyester ones) in the wash and then make their way to the ocean. 鈥淲hile there are trade-offs and impacts associated with every material, recycled polyester is certainly a superior alternative to material comprised of virgin resources,鈥 says Beth Jensen, senior director of sustainable business innovation at the Outdoor Industry Association. 鈥淭his announcement should help a number of outdoor brands achieve their recycled-content goals and promote the use of recycled polyester throughout the industry.鈥