Wood-based polyester fleece jacket to go on show
A project to make a fleece jacket from wood-based polyester is complete and the partners behind the initiative, UPM Biochemicals and Vaude, are preparing to unveil the finished garment at ISPO Munich on November 28.
The companies have said they wanted to work together on this project to show that “thinking beyond recycling” and a shift towards renewable materials in textiles are already possible.
At ISPO, they will showcase the prototype jacket and offer a presentation of how they went about creating it.
Resin used to make polyester for the jacket contains 30% monoethylene glycol, which is traditionally sourced from crude oil. In the process UPM and Vaude have used, this ingredient was entirely replaced by a bio-monoethylene glycol (BioMEG), UPM’s BioPura.
UPM Biochemicals has described BioPura as a drop-in solution that can be easily implemented into existing polyester manufacturing processes because, on a molecular basis, it is identical to the MEG in use at the moment.
Indorama Ventures took part in the project, polymerising and spinning the polyester yarn, while fabric manufacturer Pontetorto processed the yarn into fleece fabric that Vaude used to produce the final garment.
Image: Vaude.
