How is polar fleece made

Right at the height of the recycled fleece moment, the Polartec mill burned down, and a series of other setbacks followed. But the story was far from over. Polartec engineers continued to advance the quality of recycled fabrics, and in , the brand partnered with a manufacturer that was developing higher-quality, lower-cost recycled yarns.

That was the commercial tipping point that enabled Polartec to replace a large portion of virgin product with identical recycled versions. Performance and durability requirements can make it difficult to find commercially available recycled polyester yarns, but as technology advances, Polartec keeps up. The brand has more than styles made with a minimum of 50 percent recycled content.

The goal is to reach percent recycled content across all products. But according to Polartec President Steve Layton , these days recycled content is table stakes. The next level of sustainable manufacturing is circularity—polyester products made from recycled content that can themselves be recycled.

Now that Milliken has acquired Polartec, that level of innovation is even more promising. As a global manufacturer with more than years of textile expertise, Milliken is akin to a large research university and has long championed sustainable efforts.

Layton, a longtime Milliken leader tapped to head the Polartec business in June, says the acquisition paves the way for scientific advancement in recycled performance textiles. Unfortunately, fleece takes things a step further. If you pinch a fleece right now, and pull, some of the fibre will come away in your fingers. Simply going out on a windy day can mean the microplastics are making their way into the environment.

As a fun fact, their Synch Snap-T Pullover is the same design as the first fleece released by Patagonia when they teamed up with Malden Mills all those decades ago. Even their polyester trims are recycled! You can also buy your fleece secondhand. These options deal best with the first of the environmental problems we mentioned. They significantly reduce or completely take out of the equation the waste in resources and contribution to global warming.

The expectation is that you can lift yourself further without getting frostbite thanks to fleece. That was an extreme example. So to conclude our thoughts on fleece? What is wool, where does wool come from, and why do we use wool fabric? How sustainable is deadstock fabric? Fabrics , Fashion. Outland Denim: the company that can trace their jeans from seed to garment. Fans of witty '90s.

But what is this remarkable material actually made of? Like polyester , fleece is one of a handful of so-called wonder fabrics that has been crafted using recycled plastic. Fleece is not exactly polyester, but a sort of separate and entirely different derivative of that process. Petroleum derivatives are heated until they form a thick syrup, which hardens and is spun to form threads.

These fine polyester fibers are woven into a light fabric and then brushed out. What results is a thick, breathable fabric that still retains heat, known as fleece. Different materials and other natural fibers are often woven into the fleece to create distinct texture or vibrancy. Even when companies use recycled plastic bottles to make their fleece, research indicates that the plastic might ultimately end up in the oceans. Those synthetic microfibres are particularly dangerous because their size allows them to be consumed by fish and other wildlife, going higher and higher up the food chain, concentrating toxins, until they reach us.

Although fleece is a lighter and less-scratchy alternative to wool, its impact on the planet and eventually on animals and consumers make it not such a great option! So when looking for warm clothes, try and stick to natural fibres! Feature image via Patagonia. Use our Directory to search more than 3, brands.

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