New fluorocarbon-free functional clothing
Sympatex Technologies and bionic textile finishing specialist Rudolf Chemie have developed the first fluorocarbon-free durable water repellent (DWR) treatment for textiles. Using Bionic Finish Eco and environmentally friendly Sympatex products, functional clothing can now made without any elements containing fluorocarbon.
Swedish outdoor Lundhags has launched a new Air 37°C jacket, a fluorocarbon-free soft shell using the technology. The jacket protects wearers from adverse weather, offers comfort and is environmentally friendly.
The Bionic Finish Eco is water- and dirt-repellent, free from organic halogens and biologically degradable. The finish is composed of star-shaped, hyper-branched polymers (dendrimers). These improve the water-repellent effect, are efficient and tend to create their own form of organisation and build up crystalline structures at the nano level because of their netlike structures. This invisible flexible structure is water-repellent, wear-resistant and holds up under washing.
Components containing fluorocarbon have been used for the textile industry for more than 30 years, but are now considered potentially harmful to the environment.
