PrimaLoft expands its biodegradable technology to fabric
14/11/2018
Like the insulation product unveiled in October, the fabric is made from PrimaLoft Bio biodegradable fibres.
“From the beginning of this process, we have always considered fabrics to be a particularly important part of the development of biodegradable materials. With this advancement, a fabric garment may now be completely returned to nature.” said Mike Joyce, president and CEO of PrimaLoft.
He added that one of the challenges was ensuring that the fibres could still stand up to the “rigorous process of manufacturing fabrics”. He describes the biodegradable fibres at “a new horizon” in the pursuit of a more sustainable textile industry.
PrimaLoft has enhanced the fibres so that they are more attractive to the naturally-occurring microbes found in anaerobic environments, such as those in landfill or the ocean. The microbes eat away at the fibres at a faster rate. The process leaves behind water, methane, carbon dioxide and biomass.
PrimaLoft Bio fibres will only biodegrade when exposed to these microbes in landfills or bodies of water, meaning the fabric remains durable throughout the usable lifecycle of a garment.
Upon unveiling PrimaLoft Bio Performance Fabric, the company offered more details of the testing that it has carried out to determine the biodegradability of the fibres.
The results have demonstrated that PrimaLoft Bio fibres show 84.1% biodegradation in 423 days in simulated landfill conditions. This compares to 2.2% for standard polyester fibres, according to PrimaLoft’s testing.
In simulated marine conditions, the Bio fibres showed 55.1% degradation in 409 days. In comparison, the figure for standard polyester fibres was 2.1%, PrimaLoft has stated.
PrimaLoft Bio Performance Fabric and PrimaLoft Bio Insulation are expected to be commercially available from autumn 2020.
Image credit: PrimaLoft.
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