WL Gore to offer PFC-free alternatives - sportstextiles: Lea SportsTextiles

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WL Gore to offer PFC-free alternatives

06/07/2016
Water-resistant, breathable membrane materials developer WL Gore is to add non-PFC-based durable water repellent (DWR) products to its range. The new products should be available for finished garment manufacturers to include in their autumn-winter 2018 collections and said the new materials would work well in clothing for activities such as day hiking or lift-served skiing.

WL Gore said it has invested more than $15 million in finding DWR technologies that do not contain PFCs (polyfluorinated compounds).

It emphasised on making the announcement that PTFE, the fluoropolymer that is used for the Gore-Tex membrane, is “non-toxic, safe for the end-user, insoluble and doesn’t interact with organisms”. It described PTFE as a stable compound that does not degrade to become a source of PFCs in water or the environment. WL Gore went on to argue that its use of PTFE contributes positively to the “ecological balance of performance wear”, because it helps to extend the performance and life of final products, directly saving the waste and raw materials that manufacturing a new product would generate.

At the same time, WL Gore made it clear that it will continue to invest in fluoropolymer-based technologies for use in high-level performance products aimed at “consumers who need durable comfort and protection in high demanding end-uses such as mountaineering, trekking or free-riding”. WL Gore’s global business leader for consumer garments, John Cusick, said: “We are fully convinced that these materials will continue to be a valuable source of meaningful and exciting product differentiation, and innovation in the future.”


Related stories:

Gore highlights three footwear developments 06/06/2017
Gore-Tex shells feature in new Goldwin collection 23/02/2017
Innovation the key to eliminating PFCs for Gore 07/02/2017
Vaude collection to be nearly free of PFCs 07/07/2016

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