Covestro & Trans-Textil's Aquair gets vegan certification from PFI

The Pirmasens Testing and Research Institute (PFI) has officially confirmed that the water-based technology developed by Trans-Textil in collaboration with Covestro is free of animal components. This technology, known as Aquair, adheres to high technical, ecological, and ethical standards while offering an extremely individualised product design. The ‘100 per cent Vegan’ seal has been added to the Aquair product, signifying compliance with the PFI's criteria for veganism in terms of ingredients and manufacturing processes.

The institute verifies this through checks, laboratory tests if required, and regular monitoring to ensure ongoing adherence to vegan principles.

"The vegan idea fits perfectly into the overall concept of Aquair and is a logical further development for us," said Matthias Krings, managing director of Trans-Textil GmbH. Performance and responsible product design in all steps form the basis of the highly breathable overall system. The starting point is the synthetic layer, which can be individually designed in terms of colour and grain.

"The microporous PU system is based on our aqueous and more sustainable Insqin technology, with which the production of coated textiles also requires up to 95 per cent less water and 50 per cent less energy compared to conventional production processes," explained Dr Torsten Pohl, head of global textile coatings at Covestro. In combination with the technologies from Trans-Textil, this results in unique properties with a wearing comfort and functionalities that raise the standard of synthetics to a new level and are now also verifiably vegan according to the PFI standard.

In addition to textile substrates, the test seal also included waterproof, breathable Topaz membrane systems based on polyurethane (PU) and polyester (PES), so that there is a great deal of creative freedom in product design with regard to structure, colouring and technical properties. The PU hotmelt systems used to manufacture the multi-layer composite products, which are applied at Trans-Textil using the high-quality and durable Point-in-Point lamination technology, have also been vegan tested. Water-repellent properties are already integrated in Aquair and no additives need to be added which are currently often viewed critically. All components and process steps are also tested according to Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX for processing without harmful ingredients, the company said in a press release.

In a regional and responsibly designed supply chain, breathable synthetic products ‘Made in Germany’ are created with Aquair for the design of shoe components, leisure, sports and outdoor clothing, bags and accessories as well as for use in functional upholstery and furniture – even for small series or samples. The production as roll goods is the basis for an optimal use of material in the manufacture. If required, compatible Topaz tapes are available for seam sealing, which are also based on water-based formulation components.