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Suston SUSTAINABLE OUTDOOR NEWS

Learn the basics abo ut Cotton, Re Eco cycled Polyester a nd oth hot topics! er

THE STORY BEHIND

THE HIGG

INDEX The sustainability tool that everybody’s heard of but still knows little about.

MICRO MANAGEMENT Industry takes action to tackle microfibers.

NORDIC

THE MATERIAL ISSUE

WOOL The full guide to sustainable materials in outdoor products #7 REDISCOVERED

A discarded material gets a second life.

Fall/Winter 2019–2020

PARTNER: BLUESIGN SPONSORED CONTENT

The Blue Way to Resp A

long, winding road lies between a consumer’s demand for sustainably produced apparels, such as a simple jacket, and the realization of this demand in a product. Alone, brands would need to navigate a labyrinth of legislation detours and production and supply chain potholes to ensure harmful chemicals aren’t used or emitted, that proper working conditions are met, that the end product is safe for the consumer and that all of the above can be validated in order to make substantiated claims – a daunting task, but not an impossible one with the right support.

Let’s start from the beginning

In a complex, global supply chain context, one of the greatest design hurdles a would-be responsibly produced jacket will face is ensuring no harmful chemicals are used or emitted along the way. As legislation and compliance can differ greatly from country to country, the best way to do so is by preventing hazardous chemicals

from entering the input stream in the first place, using scientific verification. Ensuring the right inputs are used creates a clean and safe process throughout the production and supply chain, protecting workers, consumers and the environment. bluesign® SYSTEM PARTNERS must meet this strict criteria in what’s known as the Input Stream Management approach.

turer identifying improvement potential on the above points, bluesign® SYSTEM PARTNER chemicals suppliers need to create and implement a so-called Product Stewardship System to ensure these best practices become engrained on an organizational level. From here, regular on-site verification by a third party then ensures this system is being followed.

Smart Chemistry and Best Practice

Responsible Manufacturing

But using the right inputs is just the start of the journey to a sustainable jacket. There’s plenty of room for improvement in the material’s production with the implementation of best practices with smart chemistry. Through optimized resource conservation, workplace safety, emissions control and control of the final product, smart chemistry can make further improvements in terms of resource reduction, cost savings, and protection from many workplace and environmental liabilities. Following an on-site, third-party assessment of the chemical manufac-

When it comes to responsible manufacturing of the textile material, the application of smart chemistry as described above and best practice in the production site is a must to manage impact to people and the environment and drive a resource conserving manufacturing of materials. To meet today’s requirements of conscious consumers, bluesign® SYSTEM PARTNER textile and trim manufacturers must therefore undergo a comprehensive company assessment and implement stringent criteria. This includes the use of smart chemistry, which they can easily find in the bluesign® FINDER, and best

ponsible Materials practices for their sites according to guidance from bluesign. Emissions as well as resource consumption are then monitored, and regular third-party re-assessments assures continuous improvement is made.

Take The Blue Way

With such verified responsible material manufacturers in place, all that the brand designing the jacket needs to do is to find them. Materials produced in a manner that follows the bluesign®

SYSTEM criteria, coming from a bluesign® SYSTEM PARTNER, can then bear the label bluesign® APPROVED and be easily found in the bluesign® GUIDE – a path that spares the brand the painstaking job of navigating through the supply chain and production sustainability challenges in order to focus on what they do best: making a great jacket, one that provides consumers with the confidence that they are a purchasing a responsibly produced product.

WHAT IS THE BLUE WAY? A responsible textile industry is one that ensures worker and consumer safety and environmental stewardship. The latest technology and best applied practices additionally results in a competitive advantage, and thus ensure a viable long-term business model for all involved stakeholders. Brands working on their supply chain to change to responsible material manufacturers to provide the most sustainable consumer products – this is what bluesign® calls The Blue Way. Follow The Blue Way: bluesign.com/business

DOUBLING DOWN ON CLIMATE POSITIVE To stay within a safe temperature increase for the planet, we will need to make sure that regenerative ecosystems are kept intact and restored, drastically cut CO2 emissions and eventually take out more CO2 than we cause. Climate change is only one of the planetary boundaries that we need to act on. A sustainable brand must build on making things that people need, make them last long, minimize negative footprint and eventually close the loop (we share more of this daily grind on www.icebug.com/sustainability).

Offsetting is not the solution, but a practical step in the right direction. Icebug is the worldâ€™s first climate positive outdoor footwear brand. Weâ€™ve now compensated for our historical emissions since we started in 2001. From 2019 onwards, we will offset 200% of carbon emissions caused (meaning that if a pair of shoes cause 11 kg CO2 emissions, we will offset 22 kg CO e). There are 2 several good initiatives for taking climate action. In addition to taking the UN pledge, we have committed to being Climate Neutral certified. Find out more and get an easy roadmap at www.climateneutral.org.

TONNES CO2e OFFSET: Year 2018: 4,755 / Since start: 33,341

Time to do Our Homework

ack in 2007, I decided to only buy new clothes if they were produced more sustainably – including outdoor clothes. They would be made of organic cotton, recycled polyester etc. Every shop I went into, I asked the staff the same questions about the materials. I especially remember visiting a small concept store of one of the pioneering brands and asking about the Bluesign hang tag on a hat. “I think it's some kind of eco label,” replied the young girl behind the counter. Today, I can find many more products that live up to such standards. But I find them primarily because I have done a lot of research before I step into the shop. I will still get the same vague information from staff, on hangtags, as well as brands’ and retailers’ websites. For me, such research is part of my job. But for the average outdoor enthusiast, it takes a lot of endurance. With this special edition of Suston Magazine, we want to set a kind of baseline about sustainable materials. This – we think – is what everyone in the industry should learn, from staff to CEO’s. Today, it is not enough to say “I think it is some kind of eco label.” It’s time to know.

Gabriel Arthur, Editor-in-chief

34 28

ILLUSTRATION: NADIA NORBÖM

PHOTO: STÉPHANE ROBIN

EDITORIAL & CONTENTS

12 News

The latest in Outdoor Materials news.

20 The Changemaker

Creating an Asian sustainable ecosystem.

22 Where'd the Microplastics Go? They may be forgotten by media, but the struggle continues.

28 Wool's Second Life

Yesterday's waste becomes today's insulation.

34 MATERIALS GUIDE

A full guide to outdoor materials and sustainability.

52 The Higg Story

Where did Higg come from, and where will it go?

Suston Editor-in-chief: Gabriel Arthur, gabriel.arthur@norragency.com Editor: Jonathan Frænkel-Eidse, Jonathan.eidse@norragency.com Art director: Melanie Haas Layout: Markus Edin, Pär Ljung Editorial advisory board: Arne Strate, Jane Turnbull, Joel Svedlund

Partner cooperation and sales: Karen Hensel, karen.hensel@norragency.com Suston is published by NORR Agency. norragency.com, info@norragency.com +46 8 462 0707, Metargatan 11, 116 66 Stockholm, Sweden sustonmagazine.com

suston – the material issue 5

Voices From the Field BY JONATHAN FRAENKEL-EIDSE PHOTO EDWARD JONKLER / ALAMY

THE DEBATE surrounding the comparative environmental impacts of organic cotton over non-organic continues to fire up from time to time (read more on page 36–37). To shine a light on positive local aspects of organic cotton production, Textile Exchange has collected stories from growers all around the globe, and presents them on the website aboutorganiccotton.org. For Managing Director of Textile Exchange, La Rhea Pepper, the advantages of organic cotton are unequivocal, both in terms of social and environmental sustainability: “Organic cotton production systems produce longterm sustainability for the health of people and the planet by proactively and positively addressing key impact areas,” explains La Rhea Pepper. These key areas include such things as building biodiversity, increasing food security, sequestering carbon through crop rotation and soil building practices. Moreover, organic cotton production also reduces overall exposure to toxic chemicals from synthetic pesticides that end up in the ground, air, water and food supply, and that are associated with numerous health consequences, from asthma to cancer. “Organic cotton provides a pathway to restorative, resilient and regenerative rural landscapes and communities, not just for current generations but also for generations to come.”

OBSERVATIONS

suston â€“ the material issue 7

Plastic Mining in the Oceans? BY GABRIEL ARTHUR PHOTO THE OCEAN CLEANUP

OCTOBER 2, 2019 was an important date for the non-profit organization The Ocean Cleanup – and hopefully also for the Pacific Ocean, in the long run. Founded in 2012 by the young Dutch inventor Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup has been trying to develop a self-contained system that uses the natural forces of the ocean to passively catch and collect plastic debris. After years of research projects and prototypes, the first cleanup system was launched in September 2018. But after four months, it had to be taken back to shore for several improvements. In the summer of 2019, the new model, called System 001/B was transported from Vancouver into the huge region called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. And in the beginning of October, The Ocean Cleanup could confirm that the system was now functioning. In addition to collecting plainly visible pieces of plastic debris and larger ghost nets, it also captures microplastics as small as 1mm – which comprise a large majority of the debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Recycling of this kind of plastic debris currently does not exist on a commercial basis. But on a research level, there are processes that can break down any plastic waste to a molecular level – and transform it back to new plastics. If these processes can become commercially viable, the cleaning up of the oceans might not only be good for the planet, but for the economy as well.

OBSERVATIONS

suston â€“ the material issue 9

Fast-Growing Wonder Material BY MAREN KRINGS PHOTO MAREN KRINGS

MORE AND MORE outdoor brands are turning their eyes

to hemp, like Maloja with their sports and lifestyle collection and Icebug with a new pair of shoes made from hemp. And it is easy to understand why, both from a sustainability and durability perspective. Hemp offers carbon sequestration when used for lasting goods, such as textiles, bioplastics and building materials. Literally a weed, there are almost no limitations on growing hemp and it needs no herbicides or pesticides to fight its natural enemies. Hemp is also very tear resistant in comparison to other plant fibers. However, the fiber strength also poses serious challenges. The strong fiber has a history of setting harvesters on fire and breaking down machinery in the post-harvest production. Therefore, most of production today is short fiber hemp used for technical appliances in the paper and automotive industries. The textile industry needs longer fibers. Here, a lot of countries are still relying on handwork to tackle the cumbersome process leading up to a fine fiber quality. In many regions, hemp growing goes back for generations, like in Narlisaray in the Black Sea region of Turkey. Farmers here rely on manual labor, from planting to harvesting the up to eight-meter-tall hemp plants; and using the environmentally debatable technique of water retting to separate the bast fiber from its core. However, several hemp companies are researching new technologies to eliminate the manual labor and improve fiber qualities at the same time. The growing demand for hemp textiles will most likely speed up the development in the coming years.

OBSERVATIONS

suston â€“ the material issue 11

NEWS

Yvon Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia

Circular Milestone AT THE 2019 AplusA Fair in Dusseldorf, Sympatex presented the latest milestone in the journey towards its goal of 100 percent circularity by 2030: a fully waterproof, highly functional - and completely recyclable workwear jacket. The product was developed in collaboration with Design2Recycle and Swiss Wear2Wear cofounder Schoeller Textil. The jacket was designed in a manner that combines the best worlds of ecological and economical reuse in a single product, all without the need for time-consuming and costly separation processes. Apart from the Sympatex membrane, high value was also placed on fully reusable polyester in the selection of the materials for the jacket components (i.e. cord, zippers, Velcro fasteners) in order to manufacture a recycled, unmixed polyester product that in turn can be easily fed back into the upcycling process at the end of its life cycle. 12 suston – the material issue

YKK’s GreenRise™ zipper has received the “2019 Good Design Best 100” award from the Japan Design Promotion Association. GreenRise™ reduces fossil fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by replacing polyester with plant-derived polyester made from sugarcane molasses, a byproduct generated during the sugar production process.

PHOTO: SÖDRA

PLANT-BASED ZIPPER WINS AWARD

BLEND RECYCLING BREAKTHROUGH ONE OF THE major obstacles to textile recycling is that the fabrics are often made from blended materials. Swedish pulp and paper company Södra have announced a new, scalable, patent-pending technique that can separate the cotton and polyester in polycotton blends, which are one of the most widely used textiles on the market. The pure cotton fibers are then added to a wood-derived textile pulp, which can then be used to make new textiles.

REGENERATIVE RANCH PARTNERSHIP

Outdoor lifestyle brand Timberland has announced that it will seek to rebuild its leather supply chain using ranches that employ regenerative practices. Such ranches use grazing practices that, among other things, enhance biodiversity and leads to healthier grasses and soil that pulls and sequesters carbon out of the atmosphere and into the ground.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

“Everything man does creates more harm than good. We have to accept that fact and not delude ourselves into thinking something is sustainable. Then you can try to achieve a situation where you’re causing the least amount of harm possible. That’s the spin we put on it. It’s a never-ending summit. You’re just climbing forever. You’ll never get to the top, but it’s the journey.”

Textile Exchange sets sights on CO2 AT ITS LATEST Textile Sustainability Conference in Vancouver, the non-profit Textile Exchange announced its new 2030 Sustainability Strategy. Following an extensive stakeholder survey, the finalized strategy includes focus areas such as biodiversity, water and soil. But above all, it sets climate change and circularity as its top priorities, aiming to help the textiles industry to reduce its CO2 emissions by between 35–45 percent within a decade.

NEWS

PHOTO: KIM TEMPLE

BLOCKCHAIN OFFSETS?

The Futurelight is Here AFTER THREE YEARS of R&D, this October The North Face officially launched its long sought-after membrane, Futurelight, which according to its makers is unmatched in terms of its comfort, lightness, breathability and waterproofness. It’s also a big step forward for sustainability: the fabric is made in solar-powered factories, is PFC-free and contains 90% recycled materials.

Carbon offset schemes are often plagued with double-counting and concerns with their “additionality.” Seattle-based startup Nori has come up with a novel way to address these problems: using blockchain’s “shared and continually reconciled” database, Nori claims to offer a reliable and provable carbon removal marketplace.

PHOTO: SPINNOVA

20 YEARS OF FAIR TRADE

WORLD’S FIRST STRAW-BASED CLOTHING FINNISH STARTUP SPINNOVA and their European energy company partner, Fortum, have announced their latest innovation: The world’s first clothes made of wheat-straw. Spinnova made headlines last year for their innovative method of spinning FSC-certified wood – or any cellulose-based plant for that matter – into fiber using a chemicals-free mechanical process, where the only byproduct is evaporated water, which is in turn captured and returned to the production cycle.

October 2019 marks the 20th anniversary of Fair Trade USA, the social enterprise and leading certifier of Fair Trade products in North America. Since its beginnings, Fair Trade USA has partnered with over 1,300 brands, generated more than $500 million in additional income for farmers around the world, and in 2017 sales of certified products in the U.S. were estimated at $7 billion.

BACK TO BASICS: MATERIALS MATTER

e can say without a doubt, that as an industry we are doing great things, we are involved in wide ranging initiatives that are contributing towards changing the direction of the industry to one that is trying to leave the world better than we found it. However, as we forge ahead and engage in industry initiatives such as public land conservation and carbon offsetting, which are imperative to rebuild and regenerate the environment in which we thrive as souls and businesses, are we perhaps in danger of outsourcing responsibility and underestimating the power that materials choices can have? Materials make up the majority of the impact of our products, and influence all our sustainability considerations; from carbon emissions, to de-fossilization, circular economy to end of life options. The choice of materials plays a part in so many production decisions including the selection of dyes and finishes, processing, waste management, social and animal welfare, and transportation efficiencies. Let’s consider carbon, it is a great thing to be offsetting and insetting, but how about reduction as a first step? To have the knowledge that if we switched from batch dye, to dope dye and the associated reduction that would have on carbon emissions is a great thing, materials really matter. As an engaged industry, perhaps we risk missing a trick by not going back to the basics, examining the core of our businesses, and giving our material choices the time and energy they deserve. Katy Stevens Head of CSR and Sustainability, EOG

suston – the material issue 13

NEWS

According to a leading sustainability index, the Global CSR Risk and Performance Index, global sustainability performance has remained relatively unchanged over the last three years. The report is compiled annually by EcoVadis, and provides a comprehensive look into the supply chain sustainability of over 30,000 companies across the world.

TRACEABLE COTTON

In an industry first, it will be possible to forensically identify all U.S. cotton based on its trace element “fingerprint,” giving brands and retailers the muchneeded assurances in responsible purchasing. This unprecidented level of end-toend traceability has been made possible thanks to a partnership between Cotton USA and Oritain.

PHOTO: AGENTUR TINKERBELLE

GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY FLATLINES

Germany introduces the Green Button ON SEPTEMBER 9, the German Development

Minister Gerd Müller was hosting a kick-off event in Berlin for the new textile seal the Grüner Knopf – the Green Button. The seal’s requirements have been developed by the German government, in close collaboration with stake-holders such as Alliance for Sustainable Textiles and German brands like Vaude. The Green Button is the first state-monitored seal for products that are made following social, ecological and sustainable guidelines. Minister Gerd Müller believes that the launch of the Grüner Knopf shows that responsible supply chains in the textile industry are possible on a larger scale, and explained at the event: “This has been demonstrated by all the companies that are participating.”

Is the system too lax?

At the time of the launch, 27 companies had successfully passed the textile seal’s requirements. One of them was Vaude, reporting that the Grüner Knopf applies to 90 percent of the

current apparel Collection and 75 percent of the entire Vaude product range. Vaude’s CEO Antje von Dewitz, who was present at the event, said in a statement: “More and more people wish to buy clothes with a clear conscience, but are finding it difficult to recognize ecologically and fairly produced products. The meaning of the various certification seals is also confusing. As a state-supervised certification seal, the Grüner Knopf offers consumers orientation for responsible shopping.” However, the new seal has received criticism from the beginning. Civic organizations claim that the Grüner Knopf is not legally binding, with laws that would require textile manufacturers to comply with due diligence obligations and strict minimum standards for environmental and social issues. “Vaude supports this demand. Legally binding regulation would affect all market participants and create fairer market conditions,” says Antje von Dewitz.

STEP WITHnature

ECCO OUTDOOR IS OFFERING A

choose between DYNEEMA® BONDED LEATHER BY ECCO, which provides strength and tear-resistance for external stability, and ECCO FULLGRAIN LEATHER. Such is ECCO Outdoor’s commitment to this water-saving technology, half of the Autumn/Winter 2020 collection, and then the entire Spring/Summer 2021 collection, will be made with DriTan™ leather.

SPECIAL DRITAN™ PACKAGE FOR AUTUMN/WINTER 2019, MADE USING PIONEERING TECHNOLOGY FROM ECCO LEATHER THAT DRASTICALLY REDUCES WATER CONSUMPTION IN THE TANNING PROCESS. BY SPRING/ SUMMER 2021, THE ENTIRE ECCO OUTDOOR COLLECTION WILL BE CREATED USING DRITAN™ LEATHER For 10,000 years, the global tanning industry thought it was impossible to produce leather without using large amounts of water. But now ECCO Leather has achieved the seemingly impossible with its revolutionary DriTan™ technology. Borne out of a concern for global water scarcity, DriTan™ dramatically reduces the amount of water required to tan hides. When leathers are produced using DriTan™, there is no need for any added water, as it only uses the moisture already present in the hides. As well as being a significant step towards water-free leather production, which promises to transform the global tanning industry, DriTan™ reduces the amount of chemicals used, while lowering the production of wastewater. At the ECCO Leather tannery in the

WATER-EFFICIENT INNOVATION

Netherlands, DriTan™ saves 20 litres of water per hide, amounting to an annual saving of 25 million litres, which is enough to keep 9,000 people hydrated for a year. Using DriTan™ also reduces the annual production of sludge at the tannery, which goes to landfill, by 600 tonnes. For Autumn/Winter 2019, ECCO Outdoor is offering a special DriTan™ package, with a select ECCO EXOSTRIKE and ECCO OMNI-VENT product for men’s and women’s. For Spring/Summer 2020 the new ECCO EXOHIKE will be launch and the entire group will be made using DriTan™ leather. Consumers will be able to

Advanced technologies blend with full outdoor functionality and athletic design in the new ECCO EXOHIKE, which brings lightweight power and performance, as well as a modern and progressive aesthetic. Inside the ribbed midsole is a radical, ultra-light material, PHORENE™, which is the softest and most shock-absorbent P.U the brand has used yet. Among the innovations is a robust outsole, engineered from MICHELIN rubber, with a unique tread design that provides grip, traction and stability on any surface.

ALEX SAVA / GETTY IMAGES

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Sustainable Performance Brands have opportunities to implement sustainability at every stage of development. Hohenstein researches the human-textile-environment interaction to improve both performance and sustainability.

here are (sometimes hidden) opportunities to implement sustainability no matter where you are in the development process. Whether you’re choosing materials or production partners, there are steps you can take to ensure it’s as safe, sustainable and profitable as possible. If you’re designing a pair of hiking pants, you already know a few things: your target user, the pants’ function and your overall goals for the product. To figure out the rest, it helps to have a team of experts by your side. When selecting materials, performance features and sustainability should weigh equally. What fabrics and finishes will be the most breathable and washable so that hikers 16 – suston – the material issue

will stay comfortable and keep their clothes longer? Is the odor management technology effective, durable and safe for human skin? If you’re incorporating organic cotton, can you offer proof that it’s GMO-free? Are the materials and treatments both functional and sustainable? To ensure hikers don’t abandon your pants because they shrink or restrict movement, they must fit. With the right pattern, you can build in material waste reduction as well as ensuring consistent fit. After all, scrap material waste and returns are neither sustainable nor profitable. Even if independent testing validates sustainability and performance claims on the product, there are still production impacts to minimize. When

choosing who and where to manufacture, how do you choose partners that treat workers fairly and protect the environment? Third-party inspections and testing can play important roles in reducing costs and ensuring chemical management, wastewater analysis and consistent quality. Ideally, creating a durable, trusted pair of hiking pants lends itself to a long service life. Regardless of when the time comes, it’s still important to look ahead to the product’s end of life. Where will the pants end up once they’re discarded? Can they be recycled? Will they biodegrade? Do they contain chemicals that will leach into the soil or parts that can’t be reused? With a strong partner, you can ensure your products won’t harm the environment their users want to enjoy. Hohenstein is happy to help. Performance Days (Booth No. P09/P10) Hohenstein.com

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tion, or debt, is then gradually paid off through contributions into the retirement system from the new generation. In this kind of system, we earn our own future pension entitlement only by creating optimal conditions for the next generation, so that it in turn has a reason to honor the debt that arises.

A Nice Theory, but ...

Until recently, and in light of uninterrupted economic growth, it was quietly assumed that each generation of parents would take this type of forward-thinking approach. It has meanwhile become obvious that this seemingly splendid economic balance represented only part of the picture. The full picture first becomes available when you factor in all of the costs that future generations will be required to pay for these success stories. Because the collateral damage stemming from our actions in the form of contaminated rivers, trashfilled oceans, depleted lands and

man-made climate changes are visible absolutely everywhere. The truth is, for decades we have been squandering our own ecological inheritance faster than we create new values for the coming generations. In the mid 1960s, we had already begun to collectively utilize more resources than we were able to renew during the same period of time. To put it another way, our “ecological footprint” began to overshoot the 1.0 Earth mark. If we expect future generations to continue to finance our old age retirement, then it’s incumbent upon us to adequately satisfy our needs by significantly reducing our resource consumption and stop the spiral that began with industrialization as soon as possible.

Whose side are we on?

Honoring the commitment to the next generation is also the reason why Sympatex has positioned “sustainability” at the heart of its strategy – in every detailed aspect of our Agenda 2020.

Curing a couple of hand-picked symptoms (or downplaying the issues) is no longer enough. We have to completely change our economic mindset. For the textile industry, experts from the Global Fashion Agenda all agree that it means we have to drive ecological issues such as water and energy consumption, use of chemicals, climate change and recycling/circularity down new paths of sustainability as soon as possible. It’s high time that we began to think about whether we should continue to ignore the protesting students hitting the streets this Friday, or whether we should side with the cynical politicians who see themselves as the better “experts.” Sooner or later, this generation will call us to account – especially if we expect them to continue financing our way of life during retirement. Performance Days: Hall C1/Booth 11 sympatex.com suston – the material issue 27

UPCYCLING

WOOL’S SECOND LIFE

Most Swedish sheep farmers either discard, burn or plow their wool into the ground. Suston visits the island of Gotland, where old wool is now becoming new insulation for outdoor jackets. BY CAJSA RÄNNAR PHOTOS FREDRIK LEWANDER

28 suston – the material issue

UPCYCLING

otland is the largest Swedish island in the Baltic Sea, with around 58 000 inhabitants – and over 70 000 sheep and lambs. Here, in the small community of Endre, one of the research farms of Sweden’s agricultural university used to be located. But the students moved out long ago and these days, the main barn contains Sweden’s only large-scale wool scouring plant. “We found the farm by chance when it was for sale back in 2010,” recounts Jenny Andersson, who runs the company Ullkontoret – the Wool Office – today with her husband, Hans Bulthuis. “We liked the opportunities that all of these buildings gave us and thought that we found something to work with. We’re moving to Gotland!” No sooner said than done. In 2010, the couple settled in Gotland, launching a bed and breakfast at the farm with breakfast served in the large greenhouse. “But then we found out how much wool there was here on the island of Gotland that nobody was using. We began to collect it and thought that we could use it in some building project. But we quickly understood that, regardless of what we were going to use it for, it needed to be scoured. Otherwise it smelled too strong,” explains Jenny Andersson. However, there weren’t any wool scouring plants for large quantities of wool on Gotland. Actually, there wasn’t even one to be found in all of Sweden. But that didn’t stop Jenny Andersson and Hans Bulthuis. They found an old, abandoned scouring plant in Spain that they were able to buy for a bargain, which they then disassembled and shipped home in batches. It took three years to put it together and get it working, but since 2016, Gotland wool is being scoured once more on Gotland. These days, many sheep farmers on Gotland deliver wool to Ullkontoret and very little is discarded. Throughout Sweden, however, things look pretty much the same as they did on Gotland three years ago. For many farmers, wool is just a waste product that, for the wellbeing of the sheep, needs to be shorn at least once but preferably twice a year and which people discard in the cheapest and most effective way. It’s thrown away, burned or plowed down into the ground. A very small

amount is taken care of and becomes wool or something else that’s useful.

Playing a part in sustainability

The Swedish outdoor brands Fjällräven and Tierra heard that wool from Gotland was being produced – scoured and ready to be used – and began thinking about whether they could use it in their products. Since a few years back, Fjällräven has been collaborating with a sheep farm in the mountains of Jämtland in Sweden. The locally produced wool is used for one of Fjällräven’s collections, and it is a part of Fjällräven’s work to create more sustainable supply chains. Christiane Dolva, Sustainability Manager at Fjällräven, says that the close collaboration with the sheep farm in Jämtland has also raised the knowhow about wool inside the company – not to mention the passion for the material. “We really like wool as a material. It’s exceptionally functional, warm, resistant to wear and durable. A material like this shouldn’t be thrown away, and we really want to contribute to developing the production of wool in Sweden.”

Gotland wool is too course for regular purposes, but as insulation it works perfectly.

suston – the material issue 29

UPCYCLING

The first attempt to use Gotland wool became a backplate for a smaller backpack, called the Fjällräven Lappland Hike. This went so well that Fjällräven and Tierra chose to promote a series of clothes that are now being launched this fall with the wool used as the insulation. For Erik Blomberg, product developer at Fjällräven and Tierra, this has entailed several trips to Ullkontoret. “The Gotland wool is too coarse and itchy to use for knitting clothes, but it works really well as insulation, even better than what a finer wool fiber would do,” he says as he feels a pile of freshly scoured and dried wool inside Ullkontoret’s machinery room. “It is indeed a little fascinating that things that were obvious to our grandparents’ generation are considered innovations today. Such as taking care of and using wool from sheep.”

Lack of infrastructure

It’s not its functionality that is the major challenge of turning Swedish wool into a commodity. Instead, it’s the lack of systematic and large-scale production chains that make it difficult to make use of the wool that is simply discarded at present. Over the past 40 years, machinery parks and the knowledge that is required to take care of wool and use it on a scale larger than for traditional crafts have been dismantled. The scouring plant on Gotland is the only one on an industrial scale that is located in Sweden and the wool that is available on Gotland is already insufficient, for example, for Fjällräven to be able to properly increase its production. “The jackets we will sell this fall have been received very well by our resellers and we want to expand the product range in the future. There are a lot of sheep in Sweden, the hard part is just getting a hold of the wool and getting it scoured and ready-to-use,” says Erik Blomberg. A small but increasing number of Swedish apparel companies are following in the footsteps of Fjällräven and Tierra. The Swedish outdoor brand Röjk is another company starting to use Swedish wool in their products, in a collaboration with the fashion brand Filippa K. But today, there is no market where buyers can simply purchase Swedish wool. Jenny Andersson says that Ullkontoret is 30 suston – the material issue

actually ensuring that almost all wool that is produced on Gotland is collected. This corresponds to approximately 12 % of the collective wool production in Sweden. The scouring plant on Gotland has greater capacity and would be able to scour more wool, but coordinating transportations there from the mainland is no simple task. “It also takes time for most wool providers to learn to sheer the sheep and sort the wool so that it can then be scoured and used,” says Jenny Andersson. “The lack of infrastructure makes it difficult scale up our wool sourcing in Sweden,” agrees Christiane Dolva, adding: “To get hold of Swedish wool today, you need to employ unconventional methods. It requires enthusiasts such as Ullkontoret on Gotland. But we couldn’t work like this with hundreds of farms, which would be needed if we were to primarily use Swedish wool.

Norwegian renaissance

A decade ago in the neighboring country of Norway, a research project became the start of a wool rennaissance and provides a clear example of how things can succeed. The Norwegian wool and sustainably expert Kjersti Kviseth, who was part of the project, recalls: “As in Sweden, you had two to three generations of Norwegian sheep farmers who had never learned to make use of the wool and didn’t value it. But the research project initiated a process where we now have a greater focus on producing wool with better quality, a better sorting and thus with a higher value,” Kjersti Kviseth explains. In Norway, there is now a system whereby the wool is sorted into sixteen different classes. Sweden, on the other hand, is lacking a classification system like this. Copying another country’s classification system is difficult because these systems are dependent on local factors like native sheep breeds and the demand in local traditional products. There are also two large scale spinning mills located in Norway. Outdoor brands such as Devold, Dale and Ulvang have Norwegian wool in their production. “Their spinning mills have a wait time of up to two years – that’s how popular they’ve become. The Norwegian wool rennaissance has led to farmers gaining both pride and interest in this fantastic material,” says Kjersti Kviseth.

The island of Gotland has more sheep than humans – with UPCYCLING Ullkontoret, most wool is now collected and put to use.

Hans Bulthuis and Jenny Andersson run Ullkontoret on Gotland, and have Fjällräven and Tierra among their customers.

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PARTNER: PERFORMANCE DAYS SPONSORED CONTENT

32 suston â€“ the material issue

Performance Days: Clear Commitment to Sustainability The sourcing platform for functional fabrics and accessories in Munich chooses a fully sustainable pathway to the future by exclusively featuring sustainable materials in the Performance Forum.

ounded in 2008, Performance Days is the first and only fair created especially for the latest trends and innovations in performance fabrics and accessories for sportswear, outdoor, workwear, athleisure and sportive fashion collections. Last year at the fair, around 3,000 visitors came together with about 300 international exhibitors. The aim of the bi-annual trade fair is to give leading and innovative textile manufacturers, suppliers and service providers the opportunity to present their performance fabrics, membranes plus treatments, laminates, paddings, finishes and accessories such as yarns, tapes, prints, buttons and zippers. The industry experts who come to this fair – the designers, product- and material managers as well as buyers of almost every active clothing and functional wear brand – find a complete selection of high-quality materials available at just the right sourcing time in April/May and October/November.

Performance Forum takes a stand

Performance Days has long been committed to sustainability as evidenced by several of the recent Focus Topics, which featured subjects such as recycling, biodegradability, responsible use

of water in textile production, as well as renewable functional materials such as wool. Now it’s time for the next step: with immediate effect, the Performance Forum will only feature fabrics and accessories that are proven to be sustainable. Divided into the 10 most important functional fabric categories from baselayer to midlayer, from lightweight & downproof to safety & durability, the Performance Forum offers a first look at the most innovative and sustainable material developments. The sustainability aspects of selected fabrics are evaluated in detail by a panel of experts including brand support in a two-day session to ensure only the best materials are selected. During this session, special focus is set e.g. on fibers from recycled materials such as post-consumer recycled PES only from PET; chemical fibers from biomass such as polyamide made of castor bean oil; renewable fibers like modal and tencel; natural fibers of plant-based origin such as organic cotton and linen, hemp; natural fibers of animal origin such as virgin and merino wool with certificates and recycled natural fibers such as recycled cotton and recycled wool. Attendees can look forward to learning about the whole range of sustainable material developments.

The fair rounds off with a complimentary educational program of expert talks, workshops and guided tours by internationally recognized speakers, and is classified into fabric, trend, technology and sustainable themes. Once a year at the winter show, the sustain&innovate conference takes place. The talks and panel discussions of the sustainability conference are exclusively and comprehensively dedicated to the topic of sustainability.

Free online resources

All this and more is available free online within the 24/7 Sourcing Area, making the fair available throughout the entire year. For example, previous Focus Topics, all Expert Talks as audio and pdf files and all products from the Performance Forum are found here. So is the Nora Kühner Performance Colors color card, which not only provides the trend colors, but also the background stories, hints to fabric textures and surfaces as well as color combinations and inspiring graphics. It also offers the light and washing fastness for polyesters, cottons, and polyamide 6 as well as the color codes from DyStar/CSI, Archroma, Coloro and Pantone. Join the community and register now for your free ticket! suston – the material issue 33

WHAT’S IT MADE OF? This is one of the most basic questions, and perhaps that’s why it’s so easy to take for granted. Yet material choices can have vast implications: From the local farm and ecosystem to the global supply chain and climate, from the product’s manufacture to use to end-of-life. Material choices shape our world. ILLUSTRATIONS NADIA NORBÖM

MATERIAL GUIDE

The Ins and Outs of Organic Cotton Cotton: the fabric that spans closets, continents, and centuries. Chances are you are wearing cotton right now. What does it matter if it is organically grown? Suston investigates. BY CRISTIANA VOINOV

First, what exactly is cotton and how is it made?

Cotton is a fiber that grows protectively around the seeds of the cotton plant. To make cotton fabric, the fluffy fiber (called the boll) is separated from the seeds, and then aligned, spun, and woven. The cotton plant also has other uses, producing everything from cottonseed oil, paper, and even sausage casings.

What is the difference between cotton and organic cotton?

The difference between cotton and organic cotton lies in production. The majority of conventionally grown cotton uses genetically modified seed to produce more fiber per crop. Organic cotton, on the other hand, is strictly unmodified, and must be grown without the use of synthetic herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers.

Is this better for the environment? Though not without fault, organic cotton seems to take the lead in 36 suston – the material issue

sustainability. Conventional cotton harvests for 2019–20 are projected to hit around 34.5 million hectares – while a single cotton t-shirt requires 2700 liters to produce. Growing cotton also requires lots of pesticides and other chemicals to keep the crop productive and costs low. Organic cotton uses far less fresh water and energy overall (circa 90 % respectively 60 % reduction). On the other hand, as organic cotton is not genetically modified, organic crops have lower yields per plant and as such require more land than conventional crops. Also, due to the extra costs associated with the added diligence and production costs of organic standards, organic cotton tends to be more expensive. This means some smaller companies may not be able to afford certification.

What does it take for cotton fabric to be labeled “organic”? There is no way to tell if something is organic just by touch or sight, which

is why labels are important – they will indicate whether a product has been certified organic by an independent third-party. But from here it gets a bit complicated, as not all countries regulate organic textile labeling the same. The U.S., for example, recognizes organic cotton if the crop meets certain federal (USDA/NOP) standards for growing and harvesting plants, while the European Union’s Ecolabel requires a percentage of organic cotton or integrated pest management (IPM) cotton. Many other countries have no legal basis for labeling textiles “organic” whatsoever. Fortunately, independent accreditors like the Organic Content Standard (OCS) and the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) can determine which cottons have been grown and processed in a manner that meets strict organic criteria, and products containing certified textile can then be affixed with a consumer-facing label. Source: Textile Exchange

MATERIAL GUIDE

THE ORGANIC CONTENT STANDARD (OCS)

The OCS is a chain of custody standard developed by the non-profit Textile Exchange. Essentially, the OCS works at the farm level with approved national certification authorities to verify that a final product contains mostly organically grown and harvested plants.

THE GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILE STANDARD (GOTS)

As the world’s leading processing standard for textiles, the GOTS ensures organic textile production meets both environmental and social criteria. The standard oversees every step in the supply chain from farm to ﬁnished product. All this is guaranteed to be done under fair, safe and transparent working conditions.

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MATERIAL GUIDE

What You Should Know About Wool A sea of sheep grazing over lush fields. A cozy knitted sweater. Wearing wool has long been associated with warmth and durability. But is it sustainable? BY CRISTIANA VOINOV

What is wool?

Wool is a distinct textile fiber typically made from an animal’s fleece, or fur. This animal is most often sheep, though it may come from several others including goats (cashmere and mohair), alpaca, llama, yak, buffalo and even cattle. First, the animal gets sheared. Next, its fleece undergoes a cleaning process to prepare it for production. It is then spun into yarn and potentially dyed. Finally, it is made into fabric.

Why wear wool?

Wool fiber is elastic and crimped in texture, which makes for a bulkier fabric that retains heat and is easy to spin. Its breathability and antibacterial properties can mean fewer washes. This, in combination with proper care, can lead to a longer lifespan that can balance its relatively higher initial cost against its synthetic textile counterparts. As a biodegradable material, it also avoids the problem of microfiber marine pollution and as a natural one, it can largely bypass the petroleum industry. As it stands, many environmental impact assessment tools are believed to not adequately include wool’s full life cycle impact or its benefits during the use phase. Typical indices factor in energy, water, and GHG emissions while leaving out renewability, biodegradability, recyclability, among others, on which wool ranks highly. In other words, until these practices are streamlined, the risk of misunderstanding wool’s overall sustainability credentials is high.

Are there ethical considerations of wool? That being said, animal rights NGOs have repeatedly raised concerns regarding wool’s impacts on animal welfare. In Australia, the global leader in wool production, the practice of museling sheep is particularly controversial. Here, strips of flesh are cut from the living animal to prevent “flystrike,” a common parasitic infection. Shearing, otherwise necessary to the welfare of the sheep, can stress the animal and lead to injuries if performed incorrectly. Despite all this, experts claim that the current state can be remedied by rewarding best practice and supporting change where needed. Recent research offers evidence that properly managed grazing lands can have positive land use impacts through improved soil health and drainage, and can even mitigate GHG emissions through carbon sequestration. In fact, with adequate grazing management, grazing land, typically not used for cropping, can become carbon sinks where sheep produce carbon-beneficial wool. That is where standards, with strong auditing and inspection procedures carried out by independent third-party certification bodies, come into play. Though not a guarantee, such standards’ value in terms of traceability and animal welfare are promising first steps. By supporting farmers in their journey towards best land management practices and animal wellbeing, such standards can shift the industry to practices that are better for people, sheep and ecosystems all over the world. Source: Textile Exchange

THE RESPONSIBLE WOOL STANDARD

The Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) is a voluntary global standard that addresses the welfare of sheep and of the land they graze on. The RWS prohibits mulesing and takes a holistic approach to animal welfare. Progressive methods of land management are practiced on RWS farms, protecting soil health, biodiversity and native species. The standard also addresses the use of pesticides and fertilizers. Throughoutmhh production, certification ensures that wool for certified farms is properly identified and tracked.

MATERIAL GUIDE

THE RESPONSIBLE DOWN STANDARD (RDS)

The RDS is an independent global standard that was developed with the input of animal welfare groups and industry actors. Down is only RDS certiﬁed if its entire supply chain passes a third-party audit that ensures a holistic respect for animal welfare has been maintained from hatching to slaughter – including no live-plucking or forced feeding.

What’s the Deal with Down? As with all products derived from living animals and produced on an industrial-scale, there are undeniably animal welfare concerns with down. Suston helps you navigate them. BY JONATHAN FRAENKEL-EIDSE

Where does down come from?

THE GLOBAL TRACEABLE DOWN STANDARD (GTDS)

The GTDS essentially shares the same animal welfare standards as the RDS above, but is stricter with respect to the down’s “Parent Farm.” Here, the GTDS requires certiﬁcation of farms that produce the eggs, whether down is produced here or not. For RDS, this is optional except for industrial goose supply chains.

Down is the fine, insulating layer of feathers found underneath the coarser exterior feathers of waterfowl like ducks and geese. Down has become pervasive within the outdoor industry in cold-weather applications, and not without good reason: down’s insulation, weight and compaction characteristics make it truly a wonder-product that alternatives have yet to match.

Is down a sustainable material?

As a biobased, recyclable and biodegradable product, down holds an impressive sustainability profile. That’s in theory, at any rate, as down collection and recycling services remain rare and composting in a landfill is not considered an ideal end-of-life scenario. Moreover, as with all animal husbandry, there are primary impacts on water and the natural environment that must be addressed.

Is down animal-friendly?

Sustainability issues aside, animal welfare is the topic that repeatedly raises most concern. Many of these animal welfare issues stem from the fact that much of down comes from the food industry as a by-product. While this actually adds to its overall sustainability scorecard, the food industry has its own practices with geese and ducks that many find hard to stomach. Foremost among these is the practice of “forced feed-

ing,” whereby a funnel is inserted down the geese’s throat to help stuff down food and thereby enlarge its liver for foie gras. Another particularly cruel practice in the down industry has been “live plucking,” whereby the down will be plucked from a living goose or duck, so that it can then be regrown and plucked several times over per animal. Thus, the short answer is no, much down found on the market today is not coming from sources that practice humane animal treatment.

What’s being done to address this?

The fact that down involves animals in captivity and their eventual slaughter notwithstanding, geese and ducks intended for the down industry needn’t suffer the cruelties mentioned above while alive. In the absence of any global animal welfare standards for waterfowl, and following criticism from animal welfare groups, several outdoor industry actors have taken initiative to secure a traceable down supply chain and set standards to ensure the animals live the best possible lives. Although the outdoor industry is estimated to account for just 1 % of global down consumption, by using considerable leverage in raising awareness and promoting ethical down, the outdoor community can continue to blaze trail for the remaining 99 %. Source: Textile Exchange

MATERIAL GUIDE

Get to Know Your Viscose Viscose: We’ve seen it written on our tags and likely have it in our closets – but what exactly is it, and is viscose a sustainable choice? Suston investigates. BY CRISTIANA VOINOV

What is viscose?

Viscose, and its related varieties rayon, lyocell and modal, are textile fibers made from cellulose-based resources like wood or bamboo. To make it, the plant pulp is chemically dissolved into a viscous (meaning “gooey,” hence the name viscose) sludge before being reformed into fiber. As the process requires chemical inputs to assume its final form, it is neither fully natural (like cotton) nor synthetic (like polyester) – rather, it’s manufactured. So even though a viscose product may be plant-derived, it still requires significant processing to get to a wearable state.

What are the advantages of viscose? The fiber is especially appealing in that it can mimic the look and feel of many other materials. This makes it an allergy and animal-friendly alternative for those who want the experience of say, silk or wool. It is also breathable, highly absorbent and relatively inexpensive. In fact, viscose is so versatile that it’s found in everything from carpets to cellophane to sausage casing. Yet while it is true that viscose is made from natural, renewable sources, this doesn’t necessarily make it sustainable. 42 suston – the material issue

What is viscose’s impact on the environment?

For one, the fabric has to undergo heavy, and often dangerous, chemical treatment to keep it durable over several washes. This means that substances such as the highly toxic carbon disulfide have to be carefully recovered – a process easier said than done. Mishandling these chemicals may mean releasing sulphur fumes into the air and into waterways. Not only is this bad for the environment, but it puts workers at high risk for poisoning. Successful chemical recovery largely depends on where production facilities are located and how stringent their worker safety laws are. Thankfully, spurred by a need to adapt or face environmental and economic loss, leaders in industry are turning towards better control technologies for chemical collection. These “closed loop” processes allow for a near total recovery and reuse of chemical inputs, making for an eco-friendlier process overall. That being said, more work needs to be done to address the impact of wood pulp production on ecosystems and biodiversity. More than 150 million trees are logged each year to

make viscose, many of which come from carbon and species rich forests. Here it’s important to remember that deforestation and forest degradation are the second largest global source of CO2 emissions following the burning of fossil fuels. Moreover, largescale deforestation and forest degradation affect not only vulnerable animal populations but human ones as well, threatening the livelihoods of indigenous populations all over the world.

What are the alternatives?

But does this mean we should give up on viscose altogether? Not necessarily. Not all viscose is sourced unsustainably. Several organizations are working with the forest industry’s biggest customers to reduce the viscose’s impact on ancient and endangered forests. There’s also innovative work being done to develop alternative fibres made from waste such as recycled fabrics and agricultural residues, as well as chemicals-free production. Finally, there’s consumer preference which holds the potential to continue to change the market for the better. Source: Canopy

MATERIAL GUIDE

FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL

The Forest Stewardship Council is the original global pioneer of forest certification, offering a range of standards improving forest management practices such as the Forest Management Certification. Their focus is on an integration of environmental, economic and social needs, with the aim of shifting global market trends towards sustainable use and conservation.

suston – the material issue 43

MATERIAL GUIDE

All About Leather Durable, malleable and attractive – Leather is arguably among the most globally prevalent materials. But is it ethical and sustainable? Suston provides a primer on the subject. BY CRISTIANA VOINOV

Where does leather come from?

Leather is made from various “hides,” or animal skins, which undergo a “tanning” process that essentially mummifies the skin into a usable form. Generally, hide is retrieved as a by-product of animal farming for food. Once the hide is cleaned of meat, fat and hair, it may then be pickled or bleached and finally, tanned. Tanning essentially keeps the leather from rotting. Tanning processes differ according to region and demand. Traditionally, tanners were made from vegetables that contain tannins, the substance that makes your mouth pucker after a sip of red wine. Once tanned, the leather is dried, lubricated, and dyed before being shaped into the desired form.

Leather and Health

In terms of consumer health, research surrounding the long-term effects of exposure to finished leather remain inconclusive. Nevertheless, it is often harmful to the people making it. Most contemporary tanners are made from chromium salts, which are a combination of chromium (a mineral) and other highly toxic chemicals. It, along with other hazardous compounds, makes tanner especially difficult to recycle or reuse, and poses a significant problem in terms of waste collection and proper disposal.

Environment and Animal Welfare

The leather industry relies on factory farming, whose business model depends on the leather industry – decoupling the effects of each industry from one another is therefore impossible. This means that the skin isn’t mere waste but is often the most profitable part of the animal.

Industrial farming is particularly controversial from an animal rights perspective, where animals often live in deplorable conditions. Their runoff poses a direct threat to water and soil health through antibiotic exposure, acidification and other processes. Furthermore, the global livestock industry accounts for an estimated 14 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions.

LEATHER WORKING GROUP

The Leather Working Group (LWG) is a multi-stakeholder group which has developed assessment protocols, like the LWG Environmental Audit Protocol. Their commitment to environmental stewardship endeavours to create sustainable and traceable best practice for all involved.

Can leather be sustainable?

Given the amount of waste generated, managing pollutants is a challenge – though not an insurmountable one. Several brands have their leather supply chains based in Europe, where strict environmental regulations ensure little to no toxic waste is emitted. Chrome-free and vegetable-based tanners are available, and leather can be sourced from ecological farms. Small-scale livestock farming also plays an integral role to sustainable food systems by grazing on otherwise marginal land, and responsible livestock husbandry would involve using all of the animals’ parts, Leather is also one of the most durable and repairable materials available, resulting in a product with an very long lifespan if properly cared for. For those who are ethically opposed to using animal products, avoiding leather is only natural. For those still sitting on the fence, however, recall that it largely depends on where hide is sourced and how it is then treated to become leather. Such choices will be reflected in the price tag. But given the adverse impacts common to the, industry, maybe both brands and consumers will find that it’s a price worth paying? Source: Leather Working Group (LWG)

RESPONSIBLE LEATHER ROUND TABLE

The Textile Exchange’s Responsible Leather Round Table (RLRT) is a tool to drive forward the development of the global Responsible Leather Assessment (RLA). Aimed towards becoming the future gold standard of the industry, the RLA will assess environmental and social impact, as well as animal welfare, for more ethical leather.

MATERIAL GUIDE

On ”Bio”: Biosynthetics & Bioplastics Can starch replace crude oil when making plastic? Is there a future for shoes made of seaweed? Suston explores the complexities of the ‘bio’ in biobased plastics & biosynthetics. BY CRISTIANA VOINOV

What is the difference between bioplastics, biobased plastics, and biosynthetics?

Biosynthetics are fabrics made, either partially or entirely, from biological sources like plants. These plants undergo a chemical process that break them down into polymers (repeating chains of large molecules – think DNA). The polymers are then spun and woven into fabric. Synthetic textile like polyester and acrylic, on the other hand, are made using fossil fuels. While biosynthetics use biological materials, creating a finished fiber still requires a number of chemical tweaks – hence the “synthetic” in biosynthetic. Finished fibers are also often mixed with petroleum-based synthetics.

46 suston – the material issue

Bioplastic is a polymer derived partially or wholly (between 10–100 %) from renewable biomass. The term “bioplastics” is contested, as it suggests that the polymer is more environmentally friendly, and/or that it’s derived from biomass only. That’s why some advocate using the term “biobased plastics” or “biobased polymers”. In other words, biobased plastics can also contain petrobased material.

Why choose biobased materials over other alternatives?

Generally speaking, they have the benefit of being partly or fully derived from renewable resources – helping bypass industry’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels. Biobased plastics can also be used to produce energy at end of life, which can be positive if they thereby also replace fossil fuels. But to say more than that, each raw material must first undergo a life-cycle analysis. For example: if rainforest in Brazil is first cut down to farm sugar cane, which is then refined into ethanol and biobased polyethylene in facilities run on coal power, and the materials are then transported to China to manufacture products that are transported to Europe, the comparative negative environmental impact can be very large.

What are the potential downfalls to biobased plastics?

Biobased plastics are still more expensive, and large investment is required to transform the plastic industry to become more circular and biobased. If international demand begins to increase significantly, this development may go quickly. With regard to recyclability, the only biobased plastic that is currently recycled on a larger scale is bio polyethylene (bio PE), which is primarily used in packaging. Most aren’t recyclable let alone biodegradable.

What about biosynthetics?

As they haven’t been around long, ecological and economic evaluations on biosynthetics are limited – e.g., whether a material is recyclable and how scalable infrastructure for recycling could be developed. It’s also a textile that tends to use destructive mono-crops. The upshot is that new technologies are being developed for commercial use that are aimed at repurposing industrial waste products and non-food resources like agriculture residue and algae into textiles. With these advancements, the future of biosynthetics’ looks promising. Source: www.aboutbiosynthetics.org

MATERIAL GUIDE

BIOSYNTHETICS ROUND TABLE

Launched in 2016, the Textile Exchangeâ€™s BRT now consists of over 80 stakeholders including leading brands/retailers, suppliers and others. The initiative hosts the aboutbiosynthetics. org microsite and a Quick Guide about Biosynthetics. In 2019, two Working Groups were formed: one focusing on the sustainability assessment of biosynthetics, the other one focusing on communication and the update of the microsite.

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION

Due to its relative newness, widespread standards relating to biobased are largely still in the works.One of the most inclusive and extensive standardization bodies for biobased is currently the ISOâ€™s.

MATERIAL GUIDE

Recycled Polyester Need-to-Know Polyester is the most widely recycled plastic in the world. Suston offers a basic lesson on the subject of recycled polyester, or rPET. TEXT GABRIEL ARTHUR

What does rPET actually mean?

Polyester is a manufactured fiber that is synthesized from petrochemical products using a process called polymerization. As a raw material, it is a clear, strong and flexible plastic that stands out for its shape retention, durability and hydrophobic properties. Unlike natural fibers, it does not biodegrade but can be 100 percent recycled either by mechanical or chemical processes. The recycled polyester used for textiles most commonly comes from clear PET drinking water bottles, but it can also be made from fabric offcuts and unusable second-quality fabrics. The resulting recycled material then retains the same properties as virgin polyester.

How sustainable is recycled polyester?

On several counts, when compared to many natural fibers that require far greater inputs and land, virgin polyester already has a strong sustainability profile. rPET, however, takes this a step further. By recycling existing materials, recycled polyester reduces the demand for crude oil extraction and virgin material production. Compared to virgin polyester, recycled polyester can reduce energy consumption by 30-50 % and CO2 emissions by nearly 60 %, as well as reduce impacts on land, air and water. Finally, by turning a waste product into a valuable resource, demand for recycled polyester helps ensure that this waste doesn’t end up in landfills, incinerators or worse, the environment. This also reduces our oil dependency, and as long as the apparel is not incinerated, it acts as a form of carbon sequestration, keeping the carbon it contains out of the atmosphere.

Sounds great! Why doesn’t everybody use recycled polyester?

The simple answer: cost. Virgin polyester is produced in much higher volumes. Yet international demand is growing, and this will eventually make recycled polyester prices more competitive and eventually level off. Another challenge is infrastructure. Several companies have the technology needed to recycle polyester clothing, but the problem is rather the collection and distribution. The infrastructure needs to be built in order for textiles to be recycled on a larger scale. A final challenge relates to fabric blends (e.g. mixed with cotton) and non-recyclable items like zippers and buttons. In some cases, it is technically possible to recycle these garments as well, but this remains at the pilot level. The challenge is to find processes that can be scaled up properly, but the industry is simply not there yet. With all these challenges, industry collaboration is crucial to quicken the pace and provide clear signals to the suppliers so that they dare to invest. In 2017, Textile Exchange challenged 50 of the largest global textile, apparel and retail producers to commit to increase their use of recycled polyester by 25 % by 2020. They met and then exceeded this target, reaching 36 % – two years ahead of schedule. In theory, polyester can be recycled without degrading its quality indefinitely. This means that when coupled with an effective collection and recycling system, polyester has the potential to create closed loop production, providing enormous waste and energy savings. Source: Textile Exchange

RECYCLED POLYESTER STANDARDS

The Recycled Claim Standard and The Global Recycled Standard both verify the recycled input material and track it all the way to the ﬁnal product. The latter also ensures responsible social, environmental practices and chemical use throughout production.

MATERIAL GUIDE

Facts to Remember About Fluorocarbons PFCs continue to be a hotly debated topic within the outdoor community. Suston provides a brief lesson on the subject. BY JONATHAN FRAENKEL-EIDSE & GABRIEL ARTHUR

First, what are PFC’s, exactly?

PFC stands for Perfluorinated Chemicals, a group of persistant, durable and environmentally hazardous substances that includes PFOA and PFOS and more. Among scientists and industry, there is a push to instead use Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs), rather than PFCs, while media often use the term fluorocarbons. The risks associated with PFCs have been discussed within the outdoor industry for several years. However, 50 suston – the material issue

in many respects, there is a good deal of uncertainty regarding PFCs. This is understandable, as the group of substances includes more than 4,000 different chemicals. Today, fluorocarbons are used in a large range of products such as shoes, pans, fabrics, electronic devices and more. When applied to surfaces, some highly fluorinated substances can enhance the surface’s ability to repel water, grease and dirt. These characteristics are highly sought-after by outdoor

enthusiasts, whom are often subject to tough environments with a lot of cold, dirt and moisture. PFCs are also extremely durable, surviving substantial wear and tear and temperature ranges, thus requiring less reapplication to maintain these repelling properties. But this is also where the problems begin.

Sound too good to be true? It is.

Fluorocarbon emissions can occur at every stage of a PFC-containing product’s lifecycle: during production

MATERIAL GUIDE

itself, during use and washing, and when the clothing is thrown away or recycled. And because they are very chemically stable, highly fluorinated substances break down extremely slowly in nature. Thus, they tend to accumulate and get spread across the environment by wind and water, eventually finding their way into food chains – including our own. Several of the compounds are suspected of being carcinogenic, and studies on animals have also shown that elevated levels can cause liver damage and affect both the immune system and the ability to reproduce. While there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding exactly how dangerous these substances are for humans, it is clear that they are accumulating in all living organisms across the globe. Relatively high levels have been measured in polar bears in the Arctic, for example, and traces have been found in humans on all continents.

How to mitigate these problems?

For one: Regulation. Some of the most toxic fluorocarbons, such as PFOS and

PFOA are now widely restricted or are in the midst of being phased out. Manufacturers in many industries are working to produce fluorocarbon-free alternatives with similar properties. But as these substances are found in so many products, often imported from countries with lax regulation, phasing them out completely is proving to be difficult. Moreover when it comes to PFCs, it’s a bit like doping: Parts of the chemicals industry are trying to be one step ahead in developing new compounds of PFCs that are not yet fully assessed for their potential hazards. Thus legislation – and the consumer – are constantly left one step behind. That said, there are big differences between manufacturers when it comes to their chemical management, with good choices available.

Towards sustainable solutions?

In outdoor products, fluorocarbons have primarily been used in two areas: Partly in textile impregnations (often called DWR) to resist moisture, grease and dirt, and partly in the production

of membranes that help clothing ventilate moisture and excess heat while keeping moisture out. The breathable membranes are often made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). This is a fluorinated polymer made up of fluorine and carbon. Some of these membranes are known to consumers under registered trademark names such as GORE-TEX and Teflon. Greenpeace, that has for years protested against the usage of PFCs under the campaign Detox Outdoor, agrees that PTFE itself is not a PFC of Environmental Concern or a Hazardous PFC. The organization still raises questions, however, about release of toxic substances at the end of the product life cycle. Today, there are a number of fluourocarbon free options to choose from both with DWR and membranes. Many outdoor brands have already phased out fluorocarbons completely and larger retail chains are working continuously to minimize the supply of waterproof clothing that is impregnated with fluorocarbons. suston – the material issue 51

HIGG INDEX

52 suston â€“ the material issue

HIGG INDEX

Higg: Ten Years in the Making Since 2009, major players and competitors from the textile industry have tried to collaborate on the quest for the ideal tool to assess and improve their environmental impact. Suston tells the story about the birth, obstacles and comeback of the Higg Index. TEXT SAMUEL DIXNEUF & GABRIEL ARTHUR

he Higg Index might appear a bit technocratic, but as is often the case in business, the project grew out of personal relations. In 2009, Walmart, America’s largest retailer, was advised by the sustainability consulting agency Blu Skye. Its founder was the world-class rafting guide Jib Ellison, who was a friend of Yvon Chouinard and Rick Ridgeway from Patagonia. At a big Walmart gathering about sustainability, Chouinard gave a talk. After the meeting, moved by Chouinard’s vision, Walmart’s senior VP for apparel sourcing Mary Fox asked Ridgeway whether Patagonia could help them develop their environmental strategy and reduce their impact. At the time, Patagonia was working on a tool to measure the sustainability of member companies in the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) in North America. Patagonia then developed a score card to help Walmart measure the impact of their supply chain. The thought popped into Ridgeway’s mind: “What if we combined the two approaches to build an even more robust tool and scale it with other companies?” Patagonia and Walmart then decided to invite ten major brands, all fierce competitors, in an effort to collectively change the industry through the creation of a “standardized sustainability measurement tool.” One CEO said that when he received the letter and saw the logos of Patagonia and

Walmart next to each other “it was so bizarre that I had to check it out.” But the pitch made good sense: “Standardization will enable us to maximize sustainability benefits for all buyers without investing in multiple sustainability technologies and certification processes, and ultimately empower consumers to trust claims regarding sustainably sourced apparel. Finally, as an industry, we will benefit from the unique opportunity to shape policy and create standards for measuring sustainability before government inevitably imposes one.”

An Unlikely Match

If Patagonia had maximum trust regarding sustainability, the opposite could be said about Walmart. Nike, for instance, was very reluctant to accept the invitation. But step by step, all the selected companies were convinced Walmart had serious intentions. The first official meeting in 2010 welcomed representatives from international giants like H&M, Levi’s, Marks & Spencer and Nike, but also the Environmental Defense Fund and nonprofit labor-rights group Verite. Thereafter, the nonprofit organization The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) was born, with the aim to become the textile industry’s leading alliance for sustainable production. The logic behind so-called pre-competitive collaborations is easy to understand, especially when it comes to sustainability.

AMINA RAZVI

Executive Director, Sustainable Apparel Coalition

JASON KIBBEY CEO, Higg Co.

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RICK RIDGEWAY

VP Environmental Initiatives and Special Media Projects at Patagonia and one of the initiators behind the Higg Index. “The theory of change of the SAC is straightforward. Putting standardized sustainability measurements that are both deep and profound in the hands of key decision-makers in the apparel and footwear value chain will incentivize them to make better decisions that collectively reduce the environmental impact and increase the social justice of the entire industry.” Source: apparelcoalition.org

Instead of every company developing their own methods, questionnaires, indexes, code of conducts, audits etc., and risking that the suppliers and manufactures drown in administration, a common system would be much more effective. The idea that there should be industry standards on how to measure, evaluate and improve how companies perform regarding sustainability was not new. In fact, the textile industry was – and still is – many years behind other industries. With its myriad of material suppliers, manufacturers and products, the level of control was much lower than in the car industry, for instance. When the SAC was founded in 2010, they didn’t have to start from scratch; the OIA had their Eco-Index that SAC could take over and develop. Already in 2011, the first Higg* Index was launched. In the following year, Nike donated their Nike Considered Index to the SAC, which was relaunched as the Higg Materials Sustainability Index. Over the coming years, the index was developed into a suite of tools that would enable brands, retailers, and facilities to accurately measure and score a company’s and/ or product’s sustainability performance – at every stage on their sustainability journey. However, it wasn’t always a smooth ride.

Even competitors who truly want to work together can of course have very different opinions on how it should be done. Small and medium sized companies complained the tools were too expensive and complex for them. In 2016, an article published in the Guardian pointed out the fact the Index was difficult to use and Nike’s representative argued at the time that for “technical, boring IT reasons,” Nike monitored its supply chain using its own software.

New Momentum and New Organization

For a time, it seemed like the Higg Index was something only the sustainability managers cared about when they met up at yet another SAC presentation, in some far away conference room at the international trade shows. But in recent years, many people within the industry feel that there is once again a momentum building around the Higg Index. The reason is simple: the outdoor customer is starting to ask questions about sustainability – and public opinion has started to demand change from every industry. Now, marketing managers and even CEO’s have started to show up at the SAC presentations. Ten years after the birth of this industry collaboration, it is time for the next big step. In 2019, SAC has let the Higg Index spin off into a new for-profit entity called Higg Co,

HIGG INDEX

headed by Jason Kibbey, who was formerly CEO of the SAC. While still majority-owned by SAC, Higg Co. has received investment from Titan Grove, Buckhill Capital and Sanjeev Bahl of Saiburg B.V, to achieve a faster and more efficient rollout of the Higg Index. “We will focus on supporting and developing the technology that underpins the Higg Index, as well as expand and scale up the index,” explains Kibbey, adding that the technical focus was made even more urgent as the volume of users had increased significantly. “In 2016 we had about 4,000 facilities using the index, now it’s 14,000. As for the brand tool, we moved from about 50 brands to several hundreds.” Other priority missions on the agenda are to finalize the third version of the Brand & Retail Module and improve user experience. Kibbey also underlines the fact that the collaboration between Higg Co and SAC will remain very close.

Open up to consumers

As for the SAC, it will continue to focus on the member-driven aspects of the coalition, such as overseeing the Higg Index Product Roadmap and Higg Index Verification Program. Amina Razvi is the new SAC Executive Director, she explains: “Next year, we will complete the full Higg

Index suite – all the tools the Coalition has currently developed will be available online, a milestone for our organization. We’re also exploring how to make the Higg Index data available publicly in an accessible way. To offer sustainability information to consumers and stakeholders at various levels of curiosity and to help them make more informed purchasing decisions.” The most striking feature remains the original ambition of the SAC: to create a common language to evaluate environmental impact, and to do so through the cooperation of a wide variety of actors across the industry. When asked about the evolution of the textile industry, Kibbey is both enthusiastic and highly realistic: “There is a tremendous amount to be done yet. But when I started working at the SAC seven years ago, there were only a handful of companies that had the capacity to move the needle on sustainability and now there are hundreds,” says Kibbey and continues: “Companies today have an awareness of the impact they make. The engagement of the industry is both broad and deep and moving very quickly. There’s been a definite change of consciousness. However, we still have to do the work. The next task will be for them to move from that sea-level awareness, to transform themselves into companies that are fully sustainable.”

*The name Higg Index was playfully inspired by the search for the “Higgs boson” in particle physics, sometimes called the “God Particle.” Similarly, the Higg Index would search for the divine part that will change how we regard sustainability.

WHAT’S IN THE HIGG TOOLBOX? Higg Product Tools are used to assess a product’s sustainability impact from the design phase to the ﬁnal product. The Product Tools are the Higg Design & Development Module, the Higg Materials Sustainability Index and the Higg Product Module.

Higg Facility Tools are used by manufacturers to measure the environmental and social performance of their facilities; called the Higg Facility Environmental Module and the Higg Facility Social & Labor Module. These modules measure impacts at individual factories, not the parent company as a whole.

Higg Brand & Retail Tool. Businesses of all sizes can use this module to measure the environmental and social impacts of their operations, and to make improvements. The module assesses a product’s lifecycle structure from materials sourcing through its end of use, and can be used for communicating a company’s sustainable practices to consumers and stakeholders globally.

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HIGG INDEX

What’s in it For You? Global giants like H&M, Nike and Benetton are among the users – but also a growing number of outdoor brands. We asked two experts why the Higg Index can also be useful for them. When and why did you start to use the Higg Index in your company?

GURU LARSON

Global Environmental Lead, Columbia Sportswear

Guru Larson: We’ve been using the Higg Facility Environmental Module, the Higg Facility Social & Labor Module and the Higg Brand Module since 2012, and we started using the Higg Materials Sustainability Index in 2018. We think it is important to have industry standardization around measurement methodologies. Essentially, the Higg Index framework enables us to understand the environmental and social performance of our business operations, ranging from material utilization to manufacturing. Michael Farnworth: In 2011, Mammut created We Care to bring together all of our separate sustainability projects into one strategy. The Higg Index was selected as the tool to measure the progress. Following the announcement of our We Care goals, Mammut joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition in Fall 2018, and started the implementation of the Higg Index.

How does it fit within the environmental strategy of the brand?

MICHAEL FARNWORTH

Head of Vendor Control, Mammut.

Guru Larson: We have identified four key focus areas to help us achieve this: Powering our business and products with clean energy, improving water sustainability, adoption of green chemistry, and making resources last longer through recycling and closed loop practices. The Higg Index tools help us understand where we are in each of these different areas, drives our improvement strategy and enables us to compare and benchmark results across the industry. Michael Farnworth: We now have a tool to measure the success of the many sustainability projects along the value chain. One example: By value, 50 percent of our Tier 1

textile purchases in 2018 were from facilities that had completed the self-assessment Environmental Module. Mammut has actively promoted suppliers to use the module and, in 2019, the number has risen to 70 percent of Tier 1 textiles – in apparel, backpacks, footwear, sleeping bags – and also 70 percent of Tier 2 apparel materials such as thread, zips etc.

Do you see any flaws and possible improvements?

Guru Larson: I think the most important thing is that the users understand what the tool they are using is meant for and applies it accordingly. For example, the Materials Sustainability Index measures environmental impacts associated with materials – but it doesn’t measure or account for animal welfare or other types of ethical sourcing considerations. That’s fine, but the user should understand this and make sure to take other information into consideration. And the more scale we get in using the tools, the better data we will have for comparability. So I’d say the best way to improve the tool would be to have more organizations using it. Michael Farnworth: In recent months, the database has been improved dramatically. A few months ago, we could only access the scores, now we can look up sustainability performance on many criteria by facility, read the questions and answers, and even see the verifiers’ comments. This includes wastewater, chemicals, energy and many other topics, all in great detail. We hope that soon, we will be able to link to suppliers and receive automatic updates when modules are uploaded or verified. This will make it easier to ensure that we have the very latest data.

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