What are the solutions for combining high performance with reduced impact? The
Defying the elements, resisting adverse weather, coping with the most intensive use: materials are being given enhanced properties to meet an ever-increasing demand for technical solutions. Historically, when solutions were not available in nature, and to produce them on a large scale, fossil resources were favored to create water-repellent membranes, windproof finishes or protective coatings. With a view to reducing petrochemicals, technologies are redoubling their ingenuity and drawing on the power of plants to offer responsible innovations.
Windproof, waterproof and water-repellent new generation
Long used for their water-repellent properties, PFAs—chemical substances described as “forever chemicals” because of their persistence—present a risk to ecosystems and human health, depending on the level and duration of exposure, even at very low levels. From 2025, these substances will be banned or restricted in the United States, and a similar framework is being studied in the European Union.
To withstand cold, wind or rain, weaves and finishes now rely on naturalness to deliver performance and guarantee the safety of developments.
Thanks to specific ultra-compact weaves, organic cottons provide natural water repellency, without finishing, to minimise the treatments carried out on the material.
Protective resources
Biobased synthetics, made from polymers processed from renewable resources, have a lower carbon footprint. The prefix “bio” does not mean that they are derived from organic raw materials, but that they are derived from renewable resources, as opposed to fossil ones.
The structure of a biopolymer is similar to its petrochemical counterpart; it’s only the raw material, a renewable natural resource, that differs.
They can be used to produce polyurethane membranes without fossil resources, or technical finishes drawn from the heart of nature. The aim is to offer virtuous characteristics from fabric to membrane, with recycled polyester bases, biodegradable polyester or polylactic acid (PLA), combined with biosourced polyurethane membranes, for waterproof-breathable or wind-resistant qualities.
Plant-based circularity
Biobased finishes are renewing themselves with a circular approach, using plant waste as an alternative to petrochemicals to obtain coatings or polyurethane membranes. These new generations of finishes combine resource optimization and accelerated biodegradability.
Natural oils and waxes are used to formulate the new waxed fabrics, in processes that have been redesigned to save resources, with a zero-waste, closed-loop approach. For example, wax from previous treatments is reused, or olive residues from the agri-food industry are transformed into solvent-free polyurethane finishes, such as Oleatex, made from 63% olive extracts.
At the root of innovation
Emerging materials like Mycel Project explore mycelium, the root structure of fungi. This network of fibers is transformed into a supple, leather-like material, tanned and finished with a 50% bio-sourced polyurethane for added strength. To ensure that no resource is neglected, the co-products of Mycel’s production are recycled by the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.