Meet the newest member of the Polartec family – Power Fill
Guess what plastic product the brand is upcycling.
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With people continuing to buy pallets of bottled water, the cycle of single-use products seems continuous. But Polartec has found a way to repurpose the waste.
On Wednesday, the brand shared what they’ve been working on: 100-percent post-consumer recycled (PCR) Power Fill insulation. And to do it, they’ve upcycled more than one billion consumer plastic bottles into hundreds of fabric styles and category-creating platforms.
It’s an upgrade to Polartec’s 80 percent PCR material, launched just last year.
“Finding sustainable solutions is a core objective of our science of fabric,” said Gary Smith, Polartec CEO. “We’re proud to have ‘cracked the code’ required to produce premium quality insulation from 100 percent PCR materials.”
Polartec says that the material is warm, lightweight, packable and compressible, and fast-drying, made from the proprietary hollow fibers that are bonded together.
Power Fill is currently available in 80 and 100 g/m2 weights, with the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification. Products are currently available through Bight Gear (men’s and women’s Swelter Jacket, and Men’s Glacier Short) and Triple Aught Design, with Giro, Millet, and other brands following.
“After 20 Rainier climbs and five Denali expeditions, our relentless troop of guides think it works,” said Peter Whittaker, Bight Gear founder. “We love the fact that the Swelter Jacket is as warm or warmer than any other synthetic we have worn. When you up the level of performance in a piece of gear by using 100-percent post consumer recycled (PCR) content, it’s a slam dunk for everyone.”
