With the new “Beyond Begins Today” campaign, Polartec is building a bridge from the past to the future, impressively demonstrating that sustainability and responsibility have been at the top of the innovation leader’s agenda for decades.
“For over three decades, Polartec has proven time and time again that while durability, breathability and weather-resistance is non-negotiable, ensuring such performance does not need to come at the expense of our environment,” said Ramesh Kesh, SVP Milliken and Company & Business Manager Polartec. “Leaving the world better than when we found it is a collective responsibility we hold dear!”
With the new “Beyond Begins Today” campaign, Polartec is placing the global future issue of sustainability at the center of all its activities, demonstrating how much it has shaped and driven the company’s developments in recent years. Polartec does not just talk about sustainability, it has a long history of acting on it. In 1993, Polartec was the first company to use polyester from recycled plastic bottles to produce fleece, the product Polartec has been known for since its inception. Like the PET bottles themselves, this first fleece was soda-bottle green. In this way, Polartec was one of the first to prepare for and anticipate the major future issues of recycling, resource conservation and circularity, which are now more important than ever.
Polartec® Power Shield™ RPMP and Polartec® Shed Less™ technologies
In the years that followed, Polartec continued to go above and beyond to offer the industry more sustainable alternatives and make progress towards the goal of waste reduction – from the use of 100 percent recycled and plant-based materials to certified waste reduction and innovative technologies that reduce the impact of its activities. Innovation highlights in recent years include Biolon™Nylon, which was introduced to the industry in fall 2023. Biolon™ is a plant-based nylon used both in Polartec’s breathable waterproof membranes, such as Power Shield™ Pro fabrics, as well as in its iconic Power Stretch™ Pro collection.
Every single product that Polartec launches in 2024 will reduce the company’s impact on the planet, stand the test of time or contribute to circularity processes. The latest innovations include Polartec® Power Shield™ RPM and Polartec® Shed Less™ technology. The groundbreaking fabric Polartec® Power Shield™ RPM is a recycled polyester fabric that revolutionizes weather protection by being waterproof, wind-proof and breathable while also ensuring high-stretch comfort and resilience. It is made of 100 percent recycled content membrane and responsibly manufactured to enable circular processes. The advanced Polartec® Shed Less™ technology reduces the shedding of fiber fragments during home laundering by up to 85 percent.* Less shedding means fewer microfiber fragments in oceans and waterways and more durability for consumers.
Polartec as part of Milliken never stopped innovating
Polartec has never stopped innovating, and now that it’s part of Milliken, a global manufacturer with more than 150 years of textile innovation, its access to an extended research and development facility has helped bring even more innovative, sustainable solutions to the market in a shorter span of time. With its extensive range of sustainable fabrics – whether they use recycled or biobased content or the non-PFAS DWR technologies – Polartec is making it easier for brands to adhere to current environmental legislation and offer their customers a more sustainable range of products.
”Beyond Begins Today” is more than a campaign, it is a strategy that Polartec has been pursuing for decades. It is an invitation to brands and consumers to take part in this imperative mission. “This important initiative reaffirms our belief that sustainability is fundamental to our past, present and future endeavors to enrich the lives of those who wear our fabrics and to reduce our environmental impact,” said Eric Yung, Managing Director at Polartec. “It is Polartec’s responsibility to safeguard all that matters deeply to us: Planet. People. Product. Beyond words, mandates and aspirations, we are taking action through innovation. Beyond Begins Today.”
* Results of the AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists) TM212-2021 test for fiber fragment release during home laundering.
