PrimaLoft Partnership

Mike Joyce ‘85 and UMassD partner to bring PRIMALOFT’S BIODEGRADABILITY RESEARCH TO UMASSD

When Mike Joyce’s team at PrimaLoft, Inc. needed a way to test its new biodegradable, recycled insulation and fabric, he knew just where to go—UMass Dartmouth, an institution that has been on the cutting edge of textile technology since 1895.

As a 1985 graduate of UMass Dartmouth and a member of the College of Engineering Advisory Board, Joyce, president/CEO of PrimaLoft, an advanced materials company, focuses on textile fibers and materials found in the insulation and fabrics used in more than 900 brands globally, including Patagonia, Canada Goose, Lululemon, New Balance, Adidas, Nike, and L.L. Bean.

Joyce was already familiar with the research initiatives in the areas of sustainability and the Blue Economy that would make his alma mater the ideal place to launch a testing facility for PrimaLoft’s new biodegradable products. He pitched the idea of creating a lab at UMass Dartmouth that would benefit his company, students, the region, and the environment.

The result will be the spring 2022 opening of the UMass Dartmouth Plastics Biodegradation Laboratory financed by PrimaLoft’s $450,000 investment, paired with a $740,000 grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. “This partnership gives us an opportunity to not only provide testing capabilities for PrimaLoft, but also additional opportunities for research in sustainable products and biodegradation,” said Joyce. “I believe it could be a magnet for future investment and research dollars to the study of biodegradation of synthetic materials.”

The new lab will be located in the School for Marine Science & Technology to leverage existing facilities, including controlled seawater systems, analytical instrumentation, and water quality and microbiology expertise.

“This is a natural fit for PrimaLoft, UMassD, and the SouthCoast, with its history of textiles and marine science research,” said Joyce. “My passion wasn’t for textiles, but what I’ve developed over the years is a commitment to doing things the right way for the environment. That allowed me to take all my experiences from UMass Dartmouth and my career and turn it into something positive.”