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Polartec partner brand Norrøna has announced the release of the 100 percent recycled men’s and women’s /29 warm4 up-cycled jackets, built of Polartec® Wind Pro® fleece made entirely of REPREVE 100 yarn. Polartec uses REPREVE 100 yarn from Unifi for more than 50 percent of its domestic production.
The REPREVE yarn was made from recycled bottles collected in Norrøna’s home country, Norway. These bottles were collected in collaboration with Tomra and Norsk Resirk. About 40 plastic bottles were used to make each /29 warm4 up-cycled jacket; Norrøna estimates that the production of each REPREVE-based jacket uses 20 percent less energy than a virgin fleece jacket, without sacrificing performance.
This recycled Polartec Wind Pro fabric features a high loft interior, providing increased warmth without weight. Polartec Wind Pro is four times more wind resistant than traditional fleece, highly breathable, durable, and water repellent, making the /29 up-cycled warm4 jacket a very versatile product in a variety of weather.
“We are now launching our first sports garment made exclusively from returned bottles,” said Norrøna owner and chief executive Jørgen Jørgensen. “The goal is to recycle up the value chain, so that bottles can be turned into advanced sportswear.”
“For a long time, a fairly low proportion of recycled material was used; as little as 10 percent,” said Chuck Haryslak of Polartec. “But after a while we were able to add more and more and can now make a fabric without adding fresh polyester and without a loss of quality.”