US' W.L. Gore releases 2020 responsibility update for fabrics division

In addition, the update includes an interview with the leaders of the Consumer Oriented Fabrics (COF) and Technical Oriented Fabrics (TOF) businesses who share how they plan to implement the new framework and use it to help strengthen the importance of sustainability to the Gore fabrics division, the company said in a media statement.

Gore fabrics division has set new, absolute carbon-reduction goals established to support achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and help contribute to the global effort toward mitigating climate change. They have achieved the goals set three years ago to have 85 per cent of consumer garments laminates approved by Bluesign and 100 per cent of consumer garments laminates certified under Oeko-Tex Standard 100. They have announced the culmination of a three-year effort to triple the number of Gore-Tex laminates (to more than 150) that use textiles with recycled content and solution dyed-yarn. The company has shared the environmental footprint data of the Gore-Tex consumer garments laminates through the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI), helping our customers to make informed decisions. They have used the Higg facility tools, implemented to increase transparency around environmental and social impacts at Gore Fabrics manufacturing sites, the company said in a media statement.

The company has signed the Manifesto of the international initiative “S.O.S. SOIL – Save Organics in Soil” by the Solid Waste Treatment Team of the TOF business, with a goal to encourage climate-proof soil management practices. They have also updated the progress towards the elimination of PFCs of Environmental Concern (PFCEC) from Gore fabrics division consumer products.

These are examples of initiatives and collaborations that the division feels are important as it strives to make a difference to the planet and people. Using decades of scientific knowledge, R&D and testing, the Gore fabrics division will continue to drive environmentally improved material innovations that deliver an optimised combination of high performance with a low environmental footprint.

“I am pleased to see that in 2020, despite all of the challenges, we kept making substantial progress in many areas of our sustainability journey. I am particularly proud of our carbon goals and our new sustainability framework. And I promise that we will continue to work hard on all the commitments we made within our evolved sustainability strategy; protecting people and planet whilst prolonging product lifetime and the well-being of users,” Ross MacLaine, the new sustainability leader of Gore´s fabrics division said in a statement.

Gore revolutionised 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.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)