Advanced material specialist PrimaLoft has won Best Sustainable Textile Innovation for PrimaLoft Bio, the first-ever biodegradable, 100 per cent recycled synthetic insulation and performance fabric, widely used with knitted fabrics, at the Drapers Sustainable Fashion Awards 2021.
Announced virtually on 10 March, the awards recognise the strides that are being made in reducing the fashion industry’s environmental impact and creating fairer working conditions across the supply chain.
Judged by an independent panel of sustainability and fashion retail experts, the judges said of PrimaLoft Bio: “This exciting innovation is a huge step forward that will make a big difference as it completely biodegrades, leaving nothing behind”
“Winning this prestigious award in such an important category is a great honour for us and proves how important sustainable innovations are for the fashion industry. PrimaLoft Bio is a result of our Relentlessly Responsible mission to develop innovative technologies that elevate both performance and sustainability,” said Wim Neels, Global Vice President of Business Development Fashion & Lifestyle at PrimaLoft. “The prevalent use of plastic in our society has a huge impact on our environment because of its inability to break down over time. PrimaLoft Bio has been specifically designed to biodegrade in the environments where most plastics eventually end up: landfills and ocean water.”
PrimaLoft Bio is comprised of high-performance fibres that are made from 100 per cent recycled materials (plastic bottles) that biodegrade in specific environments such as landfills, oceans, and wastewater.
When exposed to these environments, naturally occurring microbes break down the fibres to their natural elements, without leaving behind any harmful waste. Insulation and fabrics made from PrimaLoft Bio fibres provide the same high-quality, durable performance as products with virgin polyester fibres – providing lightweight warmth and comfortable protection for a variety of activities and weather conditions.
Additionally, PrimaLoft Bio fibres are renewable in a circular economy as it’s possible to rejuvenate the fibres into new high-performance material, repeated time and again, without any loss in quality.
Fashion and lifestyle brands already using PrimaLoft Bio include: 4F, bleed, ESKA, Goldwin, Horsefeathers, Jack Wolfskin, Kathmandu, Klättermusen, Maloja, Nago, Namuk, Northland, NorrØna, Roeckl, Reusch, Ternua, Traumina and Viking.
In terms of biodegradability, the fibres offer 93.8 per cent biodegradation in 646 days under ASTM D5511 conditions (landfill environment), 76.6 per cent biodegradation in 973 days under ASTM D6691 conditions (marine/ocean environment) and 12.9 per cent biodegradation in 120 days under ASTM D5210 conditions (wastewater environment).
