Patagonia defends natural down
04/01/2017
In 2016, performance insulation and fabric developer PrimaLoft presented a new line called Gold Insulation Eco, pointing out that this development is the result of a challenge from Patagonia; about two years earlier, it asked PrimaLoft to add post-consumer recycled components to its existing Gold Insulation material, which Patagonia has used in its Nano Puff collection of jackets.
Gold Insulation Eco has 55% post-consumer recycled content (from plastic bottle chips) and Patagonia immediately began to use it in all its Nano Puff styles. The outdoor brand has exclusive rights to use Gold Insulation Eco for one year, until the autumn 2017 collections come to market.
Nevertheless, at the start of this year, Patagonia sent out a message saying it will continue to use natural down insulation in products such as its down sweater jacket. It said down is “nature’s undisputed insulating hero”, describing it as warmer, lighter and more compressible for its weight than any other insulating fibre.
“Down remains the choice for deep warmth in the world’s coldest environments,” the brand said. “From sweaters to sleeping bags, down, if properly cared for, can last for decades. When wet, down can lose its loft and insulating power, but in dry climates, down is warmth’s heavyweight.”
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