Gore Presents GORE-TEX Products with a PFCEC Free DWR at Outdoor Retailer Show

July 18, 2018

• Key milestone achieved in delivering against ambitious PFC goals • Increased use of recycled and solution-dyed textiles in garments portfolio contributes to water savings and reduces CO2 emissions

Newark, DE –W. L. Gore & Associates is proud to announce that it reached a first key milestone on its Fabrics Division’s journey towards the goal of eliminating PFCs of Environmental Concern (PFC_EC) from the life cycle of the large majority of its consumer fabrics portfolio by 2020. This ambitious goal was announced in February 2017 (www.gore-tex.com/pfcgoal).  

At the Outdoor Retailer Show in Denver, CO, Gore will present its GORE-TEX 2-Layer jackets that utilize a DWR treatment (Durable Water Repellent) free of PFC_EC while keeping Gore´s GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY™ brand promise. On display will be jackets manufactured by customers The North Face, Marmot, Black Diamond and Outdoor Research.

In addition, the outdoor jackets shown at the booth reflect a second big step forward in Gore’s   efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of its consumer fabrics products: They all are manufactured with Gore laminates utilizing face-textiles made from recycled materials – another key initiative within the Fabrics Division’s sustainability strategy. 

Using recycled materials helps reduce the amount of plastic waste that otherwise would end up in landfills or incineration. The recycled nylon is currently sourced from pre-consumer waste while its recycled polyester stems from used PET bottles. 

Bernhard Kiehl, Sustainability Leader for Gore’s fabrics division: “The GORE-TEX jackets shown at our booth have a PFC_EC free DWR treatment and face-textiles made from recycled materials. They represent our strong intent to offer environmentally improved products. The positive feedback we have received from customers and consumers on our innovations motivates us to work even harder on developing further advanced material solutions. We continue our efforts to deliver fit-for-use products that provide the best possible combination of high performance, durability and a low environmental footprint.”

While Gore‘s current consumer fabrics product collection for the Autumn/Winter 2018 includes more than a dozen GORE-TEX laminates that are manufactured with face-textiles made from recycled materials, this number is expected to almost triple by the Autumn/Winter 2019 collection. 

Also ready to be rolled-out by customers for the Autumn/Winter collection 2019 is another innovation: solution-dyed face-textiles. Solution dyeing is a technology that – compared to conventional yarn dyeing processes – saves up to 60% in water usage and significantly reduces CO₂ emissions. During the solution-dyeing process, dyestuffs are mixed with the nylon or polyester pellets prior to spinning into yarn. The resulting yarn is permanently, deeply colored and ready to be woven into fabrics.

Gore has also developed a new textile backer that combines the advantages of solution dyeing and recycled content resulting in an offering of an additional range of 18 laminates with solution dyed content to GORE -TEX brand partners from 2019 onwards.   

Thomas Kiebler, Gore Application Engineer, explains: “We seek to expand our share of solution-dyed textiles due to two compelling advantages: solution-dyeing helps reduce our environmental footprint and offers a performance benefit of superior color-fastness to light – which will allow consumers to enjoy the brilliance of colors for longer than usual. And, as we know from our Life Cycle Assessment studies, using durable outerwear for a long time is the best thing you can do to reduce its impact on the environment.” 

About Gore Fabrics 
Gore revolutionized the outerwear industry with waterproof, breathable GORE-TEX fabric more than 40 years ago and remains a leading innovator of performance apparel. Gore fabrics products provide comfort and protection in challenging environments and in everyday life, enabling wearers to safely and confidently achieve and experience more. From hiking in downpours to military operations and fighting fires, Gore’s deep understanding of consumer and industry needs drives development of products with meaningful performance advantages. www.goretex.com

About Gore 
W. L. Gore & Associates is a global materials science company dedicated to transforming industries and improving lives. Founded in 1958, Gore has built a reputation for solving complex technical challenges in the most demanding environments — from revolutionizing the outerwear industry with GORE-TEX fabric to creating medical devices that improve and save lives to enabling new levels of performance in the aerospace, pharmaceutical and mobile electronics markets, among other industries. The company is also known for its strong, team-oriented culture and continued recognition from the Great Place to Work® Institute. Headquartered in Newark, Del., Gore employs approximately 9,500 Associates and generates annual revenues that exceed $3 billion. www.gore.com

MEDIA CONTACTS
Farra D’Orazio
W.L. Gore and Associates
fdorazio@wlgore.com
(410) 506-2872

Dave Simpson
Verde Brand Communications 
dave@verdepr.com
(307) 734-0505