Plastic-free performance
Concerned by microplastics and seeking to avoid materials derived from fossil fuels, a few pioneering active and sportswear brands are taking the radical decision to phase out synthetics in the belief that nature knows best.
Going plastic-free is a radical turn from practices that have dominated performance clothing design for the past half century. Synthetic fibres have been favoured for their strength, low weight, hydrophobicity, and all-around durability. They replaced the natural fibres that everyone, athletes included, used to wear. A single non-synthetic fibre, wool, was later accepted back into the activewear fibre ranks because of its exceptional set of properties: advanced thermoregulation, along with unequalled moisture and odour management. If synthetic fibres were not so cheap, silk might also have kept a place in performance baselayers. Cotton, it was said, could not compete with synthetics for intense activities and was quickly cast aside.
A few pioneering brands, and many suppliers of natural fibre performance materials, hold that the bar should be reset. Microplastics pollution and the need to stop mining fossil fuels for consumer goods (among other things) were the basis of their thinking. These companies assert that natural fibres are more comfortable to wear for any occasion, active or not.
Three years ago, Nicolas Rochat, owner of Mover, a Swiss skiwear brand, took the bold decision to reposition it as a plastic-free, outdoor lifestyle label. He created a new structure, changed his business model from B2B to B2C, and pursued a cause he had already initiated in his skiwear products: to create activewear made only from natural materials. Mr Rochat had been instrumental in the launch of SwissWool insulation with German company Baur Vliesstoffe, some 13 years ago. This local wool concept has since spawned a wide array of products that Lavalan, a division of Baur Vliesstoffe, commercialises.
Mr Rochat had also previously used Ventile fabrics. “For our winter 2016 collection, we made a skisuit combining the 100% cotton fabric with wool insulation. It was a revolution, but it was also very expensive, somewhat difficult to explain, and not an easy sell,” he tells WSA.
Times have changed and he feels that the plastic-free message is now better understood. Mr Rochat firmly believes that natural fibres are more comfortable to wear than synthetics and can offer the same performances. “The only limit I see is theoretical. It is Gore and the like marketing water columns. I don’t need a garment to resist a 40-metre water column, what I need is a garment that keeps me dry and breathes,” he says. We also need suppliers that can make functional, machine-washable textiles from natural fibres, he says, adding: “A textile derives its properties from surface and density, not only fibre. Ventile is a good example of this. It is made with a long staple cotton fibre that has a special twist and is woven in a specific texture.”
Regenerated fibres
Austrian manmade cellulose fibre (MMCF) producer Lenzing has decided to promote Tencel, its branded lyocell, in activewear. Lyocell is not technically a natural fibre, but a semi-synthetic or regenerated cellulose fibre made from a renewable resource, wood. Demand for plant-based performance materials is such that the company created a full range of fabrics and insulation for all layers and uses for its outdoor-focused ‘Tree Climate’ collection. “There is a huge demand for our fibre in activewear,” says Andreas Gürtler, Lenzing’s senior manager for functional wear, adding that it offers moisture management and breathability. “Tencel possesses genuine thermal properties and moves moisture away from the body. It has very nice aesthetics, it brings a lot of body to a textile and drapes well,” says David Parkes, founder of textile solutions provider Concept III. Along with Performance Days founder Marco Weichaert, he helped Lenzing develop the collection. “The industry is concerned about rPET availability in the years to come and needs a replacement for polyester. Tencel could be that fibre,” he says.
Lenzing is going to great lengths to support the use of Tencel fibres in activewear and in the outdoor industry. In addition to base and mid layers, the fabric collection includes outer layer textiles with water-and wind-resistant coatings. Lyocell sewing threads and sewn-in labels are also available. “These are certified biodegradable,” says Mr Gürtler.
Icebreaker is the most prominent brand to embrace the plastic-free cause in activewear. It plans to phase out synthetics by next year. “Inspired by our purpose to remove unnecessary plastic from performance apparel, we started our plastic-free journey in 2018 at a time when 84% of our fibres were natural- or plant-based,” Jan Van Mossevelde, Icebreaker’s global president tells WSA. The VF-owned brand has made impressive progress, he says, and can now claim that 95% of its fibres are natural or plant-based. Progress is being made on the remaining 5% synthetic fibres for which “viable natural alternatives” are difficult to come by.
“We have identified an option for a partially bio-based elastane and one for a 100% bio-based nylon. We plan to introduce them into our fall/winter 23 collection,” says Jordie Beneyto Ferre, Icebreaker’s head of materials and sustainability. The elastane could be made from corn starch and the nylon may be derived from castor bean oil. Icebreaker is also collaborating with Finnish fibre manufacturer Spinnova to develop a “pioneering” yarn made from a blend of merino wool and the cellulosic fibre.
For its main fibre, merino wool, Icebreaker is pushing its suppliers to switch to regenerative practices. Its 2022 transparency report states that 100% of its ‘Growers Club’ members, those farmers with which the New Zealand brand has established long-term partnerships, intend to apply the regenerative practices of the ZQRX protocol created by the New Zealand Merino Company. It said that 59 of its 70 members have conducted initial assessments and the remaining 11 expect to do so by the end of the year.
Outdoor brand Salewa, part of the Italy-based Oberalp Group, is looking to increase the proportion of natural fibres in its collections and has been focusing on hemp. “We have been studying this fibre for a while and we have been testing products since 2016,” says Marie-Luisa Roos, in charge of sustainability and communications within the group’s five-person sustainability team. Salewa has even planted a field of hemp at its headquarters in Bolzano, Italy. Its Alpine Hemp collection was first launched in 2021, and the natural fibre was also present in blends with cotton and polyester in its summer 2022 range.
Why hemp? “It is a solution to a problem we all have, climate change. It is a fast growing, sustainable plant that requires less water than cotton and captures CO2,” says Ms Roos. “It is a perfect fibre in humid and in mountain conditions. It is quick drying, releases moisture fast, is antibacterial and anti-odour. It is also a good thermoregulator; the body won’t overheat or undercool. It is an awesome plant, and we really want to make it work.” Salewa, she adds, is evaluating several natural fibres that would be suitable for mountain sports. The brand’s roster of renewable or natural raw materials include viscose, linen, RDS-certified down, non-mulesed merino wool and Tyrolian wool insulation made from a local breed of ‘spectacled’ sheep. Its aim is not to go plastic-free, but “it is a topic we think about as part of our goal to become more circular,” she says “we want to recycle plastic as often as possible, including fabric-to-fabric recycling”.
Fossil fuels no more
The Woolmark Company, the not-for-profit marketing, research and development arm of Australian Wool Innovation, has launched a global campaign to draw attention to what it believes are the “dangers of synthetic fibres”. The ‘Wear Wool, not Fossil Fuel’ campaign features a 60-second film showing people struggling to escape an oil-filled swimming pool. This striking image is based on the company’s insight that every 25 minutes, an Olympic pool’s worth of crude oil is used to produce synthetic clothing. The organisation is also concerned that eight out of 10 people do not know that synthetics are derived from fossil fuels and probably do not realise that synthetics are a major source (35% it says) of microplastics in oceans.
Merino wool has a long track record now in baselayers, but The Woolmark Company believes it has the potential to expand beyond this product category. It sought to prove the point this past summer by collaborating with French swimwear brand Vilebrequin on wool-based swimming trunks. “We feel confident our clients will appreciate the remarkable quality and the naturally chic way wool hangs on the body,” said Vilebrequin chief executive, Roland Herlory, on the tie-up with The Merino Company.
Merino wool baselayers are making a comeback, confirms José Fernandez, head of Global Merino. “Demand for natural performance is high and we are seeing performance-oriented brands that did not have wool-based clothing looking to introduce it into their ranges,” he tells WSA. Merino wool has great properties, but some shortcomings, he says, “next-to-skin is where it exhibits its best properties, mid-layers may not be the best use for wool.” To enhance the fibre’s natural properties, Global Merino is developing knit fabrics with special structures. “By adding loft, as a way of trapping air, we can achieve a higher warmth-to-weight ratio,” he says. Examples of optimised structures include ribbed, honeycomb and French terry knits, and a double knit with a channelled, corrugated cardboard-like structure that increases airflow. Performance is also affected by how the user feels, he says. “If a person sweats a lot, an interesting feature of merino is that it won’t feel wet. This avoids post-effort chills.”
Since the development of SwissWool, the offering of wool-based thermal insulation has grown significantly. UK-based HD Wool works closely with its wool growers in Britain to shift to regenerative practices. There are many reasons why wool is a better choice for performance compared to polyester, says Simon Whitmarsh-Knight, managing director for active insulation at HD Wool. “It is more breathable, it manages moisture better, it is more comfortable, and it does not generate microplastics.”
David Parkes, at Concept III, is excited about Halo, a novel sliver-knit wool insulation made by Chinese company Nice Gain. The loosely knit textile has high loft and is made from traceable 32-micron wool from New Zealand, “Due to the natural crimp of wool, it creates dead air space for warmth and won’t fall apart, there is no need for tacking or quilting,” Mr Parkes says.
Performance cotton
Cotton is, for some in the outdoor industry, not only a very comfortable fibre to wear but also a high-performance raw material (see Dialogue with Thomas Håkansson on page 38). “Sir Edmund Hillary summitted Everest wearing a jacket made from nylon, Ventile, wool and down,” points out Nicolas Rochat. For Mover, he chose to make a micro puff jacket with a 100% organic cotton ripstop fabric weighing 100 gsm and having windproof and water-resistant properties.
A fabric that would be similar to those made by Swiss high-tech weaver Stotz, owner of the Ventile brand. These textiles owe their high level of performance to extra-long staple cotton fibres that are spun and woven to deliver wind and water resistance. If stronger rain protection is needed, a wax or DWR (ideally PFC-free) can be applied. Demand is high not only for conventional cotton Ventile fabrics but even more so for its eco-ranges. “Our offering of eco fabrics is now larger than that of conventional fabrics,” says Ventile brand director, Daniel Odermatt. “New sports and lifestyle labels want organic or recycled natural materials,” he says, citing two French lifestyle brands, Bonne Gueule and Asphalte. The fabric company is introducing references with hemp, linen and lyocell to bring variety to the range.
Cotton Incorporated has been pushing the limits of what cotton can do with a series of finishes specially formulated for cotton-rich fabrics. These, it says, perform as well as or better than synthetics and include a water-repellent finish with Storm Cotton, moisture management solutions with TransDry and Wicking Windows, and superior abrasion resistance with Tough Cotton technology.
Plastic-free performance apparel may have been considered, rightly or not, a pipe dream a few years back. Now the divide between natural and synthetic is closing with regards to performance. And with regards to price, the competition is strong, and some say, unfair. “It is not normal that polyester be so cheap and wool so expensive if you look at the broader picture of their impacts over their entire lifecycle,” says Mr Rochat. The move in favour of natural fibres is nonetheless growing. Few brands seek to forego synthetics altogether, but many others, from Finisterre, a fan of HD Wool, to 100% plant-based streetwear brand Unless, are demonstrating in their collections that the bar can be reset.
Outdoor brand Salewa says hemp is ideal for hiking and climbing gear, backed by extensive field testing by its alpine team.
CREDIT: Salewa
