Textile Insight

"There is synergy with other certifiers." "A race to the bottom on price is not the future," says McKeon. "These days you need to do more for the consumer, and the concept of trust is a priority." McKeon is looking to expand into the active outdoor community and has recently started work with Allied Feather and Down home products as well as Downlite on a program of "healthy down." He sees opportunity also in performance outerwear and sleeping bags. He says that the Asthma & Allergy Friendly Certification Program appeals to the "health maven" who is alerted to the latest health issues and environmental concerns and likely owns a Dyson vacuum cleaner and uses eco-friendly cleaning products in the home. "This consumer base is broadening all the time, as people are able to more easily find health-related information." McKeon agrees that the term "sustainability" is stronger than "green," but adds, "stronger still is "healthy." Along these lines, Chemours' colleagues, Bob Buck and Lisa Hardy agree with the concept that "healthy people and a healthy planet equals a healthy future. Their work with a wider assortment of outerwear brands reflects this new lifestyle approach to sustainability — as well as a shift in business strategy toward eco efforts that offer different tiers of sustainability performance based on use and need. Buck explains: "Sustainability is good for the corporate bottom line, it's 'operational' and eco has an impact." Hardy adds, "There has been a big uptick in use of non-fluorinated products. The biggest is in Europe, but the U.S. is coming along." Adoptions of EcoElite have grown. There are 12M hang-tags with EcoElite to date. Hardy, continues, "Its not just the premium high end brands. That's where it started – brands with a strong sustainability ethos. And that remains. But the message is now resonating with a different level of performance. Chemours new chemistry fits that emerging tier of performance with brands saying, "I don't need 30 wash performance. If it's non-fluorinated, and sustainably sourced with five to 10 wash durability that's fine. It is a different performance point." Chemours' new R2SM or R2+ chemistry has a lower price, with lower durability, yet is still a non- fluorinated product. "It's lifestyle performance, if you will, made sustainably," comments Hardy. Sustainability as a Springboard for Responsible Technology The key to the future is how to make higher performance with sustainability, says Sorona marketing director Renee Henze. "If the product doesn't perform then there is no seat at the table. Sorona has a lot of performance aspects and we need to tell that story, and in a way that brands understand." However, Henze notes that other factors have to align with performance. "Cost effectiveness and scale-ability for example." Going forward, according to Henze, annually renewable resources will be increasingly important. She highlights recent research conducted by a team at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment that compiled a report entitled, "Drivers and Challenges for the Expansion of Renewable Resource Feedstocks: The Sustainable Apparel Sector." According to the team's research, bio-based textiles are more frequently entering the design, development and commercial offer- ings of global apparel brands. Researchers conducted a global study involv- ing stakeholders across the apparel value chain, from raw material developers and fiber spinners to fabric mills and brands and retailers. The goal of the study was to discover how companies are thinking about and incorporating the use of bio- based textiles into their products. Specifically, 54 percent of respondents cited customer demand as a key driver in their use of bio-based materials. Additionally, 47 percent of respondents also stated high performance as a primary reason for using bio-based materials rather than non-bio-based ingredients. And 55 percent of those surveyed along the supply chain said they are looking to increase their use of bio-based materials in the next three years. A successful avenue of growth, and new direction for Sorona is creating innovation of Sorona with natural fibers. For example, Sorona blended with Lenzing's Tencel enhances the attributes of the individual fibers, creating a soft, lightweight and absorbent fabric for outdoor apparel. Additionally, Sorona blended with Toray Primeflex creates a lightweight, windproof, four-way stretch woven that offers supreme flexibility for all outdoor activities. In addition to its Sorona product, DuPont is garnering attention for its new product called Apexa, an eco-friendly biodegradable polyester. Initially developed for packaging, it is starting to gain ground in textiles as "waste" becomes more of a talking point in sustainability conversations. According to the company, Apexa is the only known polyester fiber that biodegrades, using an industrial composting process, to fully break down into simple CO2 and H2O to reduce textile waste and limit impact. Apexa can break down significantly faster in industrial landfills compared to regular polyesters. "There's a lot of movement in the direction of how to make renewables more biodegradable," says Henze. As technology continues to merge with envi- ronmental efforts, sustainable textile innovation will broaden, diversify and have even greater impact. But as Chemours' Bob Buck is wont to say, "its not a final destination, sustainability is always going forward." O textileinsight.com 34 • Textile Insight ~ September / October 2017 "Sustainability doesn't necessarily mean health – but health and wellness is where this is moving. Consumer research shows movement beyond what's good for the environment to what's good for me." John McKeon, Allergy Standards "The key to the future is how to make higher performance with sustainability." Renee Henze, Sorona "There has been a big uptick in use of non-fluorinated products. The biggest is in Europe, but the U.S. is coming along." Lisa Hardy, Chemours

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