Polartec Introduces 100% Recycled Power Fill Insulation

Polartec introduces an upgraded Power Fill insulation, now made from 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials. The fill insulation introduced with 80% recycled content just one year ago, and now has reached this sought-after milestone more quickly than previously expected, said the company. Polartec has now upcycled more than one billion post-consumer plastic bottles into hundreds of fabric styles platforms.

Polartec Power Fill is made of proprietary hollow fibers that are bonded together through a process that reduces environmental impact, while simultaneously providing superior insulating properties, durability and hand, said Polartec. This process also results in a more stable layer, removing the need for disposable scrims, stabilizing agents or carriers used by some competing insulations. Unnecessary scrims add weight and may not be made from recycled content, possibly skewing warmth-to-weight ratios and recycled content measurements. By eliminating the need for a wasteful scrim, Polartec Power Fill is warmer for its weight, reduces cold spots and aesthetic changes from migrating fibers, and opens up countless design possibilities.

“Finding sustainable solutions is a core objective of our science of fabric,” says Gary Smith, Polartec CEO. “We’re proud to have ‘cracked the code’ required to produce premium quality insulation from 100% PCR materials.”

100% recycled Polartec Power Fill is currently available in 80 and 100 g/m2 weights, with the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification. Polartec Power Fillâ„¢ products are currently available from customers Bight Gear and Triple Aught Design, with product also planned from Blackyak, Crazy Idea, Giro, Goldwin, Millet, P1G-Tac, Reusch and Samas.