Polartec, a leading provider of innovative textile solutions, introduces the upgraded Polartec Power Fill insulation, now made from 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials. This fill insulation was introduced with 80% recycled content just one year ago, and now has reached this sought-after milestone more quickly than previously thought possible, according to the company.

“Long a leader in sustainable fabrics, Polartec has now upcycled over one billion post-consumer plastic bottles into hundreds of fabric styles and category-creating platforms,” the manufacturer says.

Polartec Power Fill is warm, lightweight package insulation that is hydrophobic, fast-drying, and highly compressible. Polartec Power Fill is made of proprietary hollow fibres that are bonded together through a process that is said to reduce environmental impact, while simultaneously providing superior insulating properties, durability and hand.

This process also results in a more stable layer, removing the need for disposable scrims, stabilising agents, or carriers used by some competing insulations. Unnecessary scrims add weight and may not be made from recycled content, possibly skewing warmth-to-weight ratios and recycled content measurements, the company reports. By eliminating the need for a wasteful scrim, Polartec Power Fill is said to be warmer for its weight, reduces cold spots and aesthetic changes from migrating fibres, and opens up countless design possibilities.

“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% PCR materials.”

100% recycled Polartec Power Fill is currently available in 80 and 100 g/m² weights, with the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification. Polartec Power Fill products are currently available from customers Bight Gear and Triple Aught Design, with product also planned from Blackyak, Crazy Idea, Giro, Goldwin, Millet, P1G-Tac, Reusch and Samas.

www.polartec.com