Gore publishes updated assessment for water repellency
W. L. Gore & Associates has published its third life cycle assessment (LCA) focusing on durable water repellent treatment (DWR) for outerwear.
It concludes that the currently available non-fluorinated DWR offering does not offer a better environmental profile than Gore’s fluorocarbon-based DWR treatment.
It says the lower performance of non-fluorinated DWR treatments is the single biggest driver for a jacket or backpack's environmental impact because, in an attempt to maintain a satisfactory level of water repellency, users would have to wash and re-apply DWR treatments more frequently on garments.
“This might not be realistic scenario for many consumers, but accepting loss of water repellency will likely result in disappointment and premature replacement of a jacket," said Bernhard Kiehl, Gore Fabrics sustainability leader. “Frequently replacing a jacket comes with similarly negative environmental impacts since the production of a new jacket uses up additional resources like chemicals, energy and water.”
The outdoor industry has long been torn between the better performing fluorocarbon-based DWR treatment, which are claimed to be detrimental to the environment, and the cleaner
non-fluorinated DWR treatments which do not offer the same level of performance.
