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technologies
WHY WE WORK THE WAY WE DO
We would like to share with you some of the reasons behind the technologies we select to reach our high quality standards. For example, why do we choose to work with recycled polyester, why does it say Soil Association on the inside label of our t-shirts and how can you care about your products so that they last as long as possible?
Our goal is not to give you an in-depth lesson in material science, technologies and production processes, but we want you to know and understand that none of our gear is put together randomly, but piece by piece with carefully selected materials.
If you also become more interested in learning more about the real impact of our actions on the environment, we will feel that we have accomplished something. There are no such things as “ecofriendly” materials and “earth-positive” industrial processes, but there are options to minimize our impact. The more we know about the environmental cost of our products and the technologies to make them, the best choices we can make.
fabrics
ORGANIC COTTON
QUICK FACTS COTTON
To many of us, cotton has a nice, soft, natural touch. However, if we start digging for the facts it doesn’t take long before we want to encourage everyone around us to start picking their cotton carefully. Because of the heavy use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, conventional cotton production causes considerable environmental damage and pollutes water, soil, cotton workers, and our bodies.
We use exclusively certified organic cotton that is produced without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers and promotes responsible farming techniques. To find out more about organic farming, please visit the Soil Association (http://www.soilassociation.org)
CORDURA
“As long as the world is full of durable people, we’ll keep making durable fabrics.“ (CORDURA slogan)
CORDURA® is one of the most durable nylon fabric manufactured to date and it is widely used for high end applications and for producing gear where tearing and abrasion resistance are crucial. Read more about CORDURA (http://www.cordura.com/en/index.html). When available, we use Bluesign certified Cordura.
RECYCLED POLYESTER
Because we recognize that natural resources are limited, we use recycled materials when possible. We do make extensive use of CYCLEPET™, produced by HO YU TEXTILE CO., LTD.
The polyester we use comes exclusively from post-consumer PET bottles. Some of our suppliers are capable of producing recycled polyester that is also Bluesign certified.
DYNEEMA
Dyneema is an extremely resistant fiber widely used in mountaineering and other extreme applications. Although the fiber is very durable, some care should be taken to preserve your products longer. Because of its low melting point, do not expose Dyneema to heat sources greater than 80 °C.
TPU
PVC FREE PRODUCTS
A lot of things can be said about Polyvinyl chloride, which is the full name of PVC, the third most widely produced plastic in the world: it is cheap, durable, and easy to manufacture. Unfortunately PVC is also very toxic throughout its life cycle. Fortunately there are alternatives like TPUs which have a smaller environmental cost. We have replaced PVC with TPU in most of our products.
ACETAL
For our backpacks we use Acetal buckles. Acetal has very low moisture absorption and it does not lose its strength at very low temperatures unlike nylon. Because of its properties, you will find our buckles a little harder than most others, but you can stay assured that they won’t let you down in cold temperatures. Some of our suppliers have started certifying their buckles with the Bluesign logo to ensure that harmful substances are not used in the manufacturing process.
FINISHING
PU COATING
WATER PERSISTENCY, WATER COLUMNS, ETC.
To add water resistance to our fabrics, we apply a PU coating. Depending on the use of the fabric, different PU coatings can be applied. We use the term “water column” to define the impermeability of a fabric. The water column defines the pressure at which the fabric is not impermeable anymore.Many of our suppliers can apply PU coatings under the strict Bluesign standard.