Textile Insight

IN THE MARKET | OR PREVIEW An Earth First Approach 6 • Textile Insight ~ May/June 2019 textileinsight.com Committing to Sustainability Without Compromising Comfort & Function o strong is the eco element in today's active/outdoor that it serves as a unifying theme through- out the industry. Surely there are other factors driving development these days — lightweight laminates, speed to market efficiencies — but hands down, sustainability is the universal message for Spring 2020 collec- tions whether the category is footwear, apparel or the textiles used to create these products. "In the past two years, we've moved over 40 percent of Aventura's and 75 percent of Ecoths' production to Fair Trade factories, which create sustainable livelihoods, establishes safer working conditions, and protect land and waterways in many countries around the world," states Tom Williamson, VP market- ing and sales. Canadian footwear firm SOLE incorporates ethically sourced merino wool and recycled PET components in the Jasper Eco Flip for S/S '20. The carbon-negative ReCORK footbed is made from post-consumer recycled wine corks and the rice rubber outsole offers trac- tion and durability to match petroleum-based equivalents. Each element of the SOLE sandal is custom knit or molded, eliminating material cut waste. Materials entering the factory end up in product and not a landfill, states the company. These and other brands call out hemp as the hot fiber right now. "Our new hemp shoes are some of the most sustainable shoes you can find," says Astral founder and CEO Philip Curry. "Hemp is petroleum-free, which means it only needs water, soil and sun to grow. Our hemp is easily grown without pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers." At the root of today's sustainability innovation is textile development. Evidence of that will be on display in Denver, as there appears to be no shortage of eco advancement from suppliers at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. "The focus will be very much on development of textiles and yarns with sustainable properties and environmen- tally-responsible supply chain practices," says David Parkes, founder, Concept III Textiles, adding that, "Biodegradability will be a big part of the conversation at the Show." Parkes highlights the investment Kingwhale is making to position itself as a leader in branded sustainable yarn technology and circularity. On the agenda for Kingwhale is a supply chain for recycling polyester chip to convert to yarn and textiles, and advancing efforts to circulate garments back to yarn to reduce waste. Schoeller will be introducing expanded sustainability and eco stories in Spring/Summer '21 collections, with bio- membranes an important element. In addition Schoeller has new e-textile developments to showcase, between it's heated e-soft-shell and HydroBot moisture management project along with Kjus's new 7Sphere jacket launch. PrimaLoft's new Bio fibers are made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled material and break down when exposed to specific environments – such as a landfills or the ocean. PrimaLoft has enhanced the fibers to be more attractive to the naturally occurring microbes found in these environments so that they eat away at the fibers at a faster rate, returning the fabric or insulation to natural elements. Fibers will only biodegrade when exposed to these naturally occurring microbes in landfills or bodies of water, thus remaining highly durable throughout its usable life cycle in a garment. PrimaLoft president and CEO Mike Joyce, explains, "Biodegradability is an end of life solution that works in harmony with the circularity model. With the ability to renew our fibers, we are changing the conversation to circularity." Polartec has teamed with Kraig Biocraft Laboratories to introduce spider silk fabrics to the performance apparel market. These fully renewable, biodegradable and biocompatible "super fibers" are thin, lightweight, flexible, resilient, extraordinarily strong, and display strength-to-weight ratios more comparable to aramid fibers than other current performance fibers. First up is applying the performance characteristics of spider silk into yarns for military-grade textiles. Polartec's partnership with Unifi and CiCLO is an example of the firm's Eco-Engineering commitment to using 100 percent biodegradable and recycled materials across its entire product line. This new standard for sustainable textiles will include the creation of fully recycled and biodegradable fleece, other knits, insula- tion fills and breathable waterproof fabrics, according to the company. CoolVisions dyeable polypropylene filament and Tencel branded fibers have created a new fabric collection of knits and wovens that marry the best of the fibers' inher- ent qualities — comfort, performance, and sustainable properties. Blends of Tencel Lyocell, Tencel Modal and CoolVisions dyeable polypropylene filament are presented in a variety of constructions, colors and weights. "The natural performance and aesthetics of Tencel Lyocell and Modal fibers together with CoolVisions dye- able polypropylene filament will meet the increasingly important demand for sustainable performance textiles for upcoming active apparel," says Andreas Guertler, head of global business management activewear at Lenzing. l S Aventura's Fair Trade Certified Temple Short is a hemp/recycled poly blend. Astral's Fall '19 Halestorm boot features a hemp canvas upper for comfort and durability.

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