After a successful retail launch, ALLIED Feather + Down, industry leaders in high performance and hydrophobic down insulation, announced Jack Wolfskin, creators of eco-conscious outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear will replace chemical-intensive hydrophobic down with ALLIED’s ExpeDRY throughout its fall/winter 2024 hydrophobic down apparel line.
Poised to render chemical-intensive treatments obsolete, ExpeDRY down insulation is cleaner and better performing than other hydrophobic down technologies. Created in partnership with FUZE Technologies and relying on gold particles bonded permanently to down plumes, ExpeDRY is PFAS-free, permanent and better at keeping insulated jackets dry and warm in any environment.
“Traditional hydrophobic chemistry works great when in direct contact with water droplets and is effectively used on jacket shell material to keep water out,” said Matthew Betcher, creative director with ALLIED. “However, for insulation, the needs are much different.
“In real-world situations, the down in jackets more often comes into contact with humidity and water vapor, where traditional hydrophobic chemistry is far less efficient,” Betcher explained. “ExpeDRY, however, actively works to keep this vapor from condensing, allowing it to evaporate more easily, keeping the entire insulation chamber, and the user, dryer and warmer.”
Beyond performance, there is an environmental need to limit – or eliminate – the use of chemicals throughout the manufacturing process.
“As responsible manufacturers, we should all be looking to remove chemicals in our supply chain, whether they are currently considered ‘acceptable’ or not,” Betcher said. “It wasn’t all that long ago that PFAS chemicals were considered safe, and as environmental metrics change, going chemical-free is the only way to stay ahead.”
As scientists explore how different chemicals drive climate change and adversely affect human health, it becomes clear that we have a long way to go to create a sustainable future. According to new studies recently published by Scientific American, “in the European Union alone, some 80 percent of human-made chemicals have been used without testing for more than a decade.” This lack of testing has allowed harmful chemicals to be used for years before their true, negative impacts are understood.
Starting in Fall 24, chemical-free ExpeDRY down can be found in several Jack Wolfskin apparel lines, including the Discovery series and the urban Pioneer series.
Now available through manufacturers based across China, ExpeDRY is affordable, widely available, and ready to scale, giving brands an easy way to increase performance while reducing the environmental impacts associated with the reduction of chemical usage.
To learn more about ALLIED, visit www.alliedfeather.com.
