Results in carbon emissions savings of up to 70%.
For decades, insulation manufacturing methods have relied on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. These industrial processes, widely used by manufacturers across the globe, are leading contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. In response, many brands have focused on material solutions and certifications to counter the rapid rise of CO2 emissions.
For years, PrimaLoft Inc., experts in advanced material technology and the global leader in the development of high-performance insulations and fabrics, has been reducing the impact of its products by using recycled material, designing for circularity, and developing technology that combats microplastic pollution.
Now, PrimaLoft is rethinking the way it manufactures its products. PrimaLoft announced developments to its PrimaLoft® P.U.R.E.™ manufacturing platform. P.U.R.E., which stands for “Produced Using Reduced Emissions,” is a proprietary, renewable manufacturing technology. PrimaLoft® P.U.R.E.™ now achieves up to 70% reduction in carbon emissions.
“The challenge with P.U.R.E. was to look at a manufacturing process that has been used globally and reinvent the way that we are producing a product. So, we looked at the whole manufacturing process and focused on where all the dirty emissions are coming from,” states Tara Maurer-Mackay, senior vice president – product strategy.
PrimaLoft completed a comprehensive environmental assessment of the insulation manufacturing processes and identified the most impactful opportunities to reduce carbon emissions. From there, PrimaLoft engineers focused on increasing energy efficiency by making changes around the fiber recipe, introducing new thermal equipment, and optimizing the source of energy to drastically reduce carbon emissions. The fiber itself maintains the same basic structure as its existing batted insulations, with special attention paid to the recipe for the binder fibers that provide the insulation with its structural integrity and durability.
“We’re not just looking at the products we make,” said Mike Joyce, PrimaLoft president and CEO. “We’re looking at how we make them, and relentlessly pursuing the optimal processes for drastically reducing our environmental impact.”
While the results will grow dramatically as its P.U.R.E. technology is expanded throughout PrimaLoft’s footprint in future seasons, here is the environmental impact from one year of production with only one of PrimaLoft’s insulation products*:
• Up to 70% CO2 savings
• Saving 231,075 kgs of carbon
• Totaling 1,032,998 kilometers – enough to drive around the world 26 times
• Or the equivalent of planting 10,613 trees *Calculation based on single-year production of 100gsm PrimaLoft® Black Insulation. Calculations verified by independent third-party, SGS North America, Inc.
“This significant shift in our manufacturing technique is not the only factor in reducing our carbon emissions,” said Joyce. “Since 1997, we’ve used post-consumer recycled material in place of virgin polyester to make PrimaLoft products, wherever possible, without compromising our world-class performance. Independent of PrimaLoft® P.U.R.E. ™, this contributes significantly to reducing our emissions. We’ve determined that we have saved approximately 16,000 tons of CO2 in this way, since 2015. We expect our overall impact to be significantly reduced as we continue to incorporate more recycled material and expand our P.U.R.E.™ technology across our footprint and product line.”
In 2019, PrimaLoft launched PrimaLoft® P.U.R.E.™ manufacturing to produce a version of its PrimaLoft® Gold Insulation, which is also made from 100% recycled material. Beginning in 2022, PrimaLoft will incorporate its P.U.R.E. manufacturing technology for PrimaLoft® Silver Insulation and PrimaLoft® Black Insulation, both made of 100% recycled PET, to serve different customer needs. PrimaLoft is working towards incorporating this technique throughout its product series, and ultimately scaling it further across its entire manufacturing footprint.
“Our goal is to set a standard for the industry to follow, ultimately working together to co-exist with the environment in perfect harmony,” states Joyce.
Brands using the PrimaLoft® P.U.R.E.™ manufacturing platform include early adopter Patagonia in 2019, as well as Alpkit, Bergans of Norway, Kodiak, and Viking introducing styles in Fall 2021, with additional brands following suit in Fall 2022.
