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Gore, Checkerspot to produce high performance coatings

25 Nov '19

3 min read

Pic: Gore

W L Gore has joined hands with Checkerspot, bringing together Checkerspot's expertise in bio-based polymers and biotechnology with its experience in high performance apparel. Together, the two will explore innovative performance materials development with the goal of delivering high performance textile coatings with improved environmental profiles.

Checkerspot's team leverages biotechnology and industrial fermentation processes to deliver unique materials not previously accessible at commercial scale. The company, headquartered in Berkeley, CA, unlocks and expands nature's molecular palette of novel building blocks to produce new materials with superior performance characteristics.

"The Gore Innovation Centre is proud to contribute to Gore's efforts to apply material science and engineering expertise to improve the environmental profile of outdoor apparel," said Linda Elkins, leader, Gore Innovation Centre. "We are excited to forge a relationship with Checkerspot and look forward to exploring opportunities with other like-minded organisations in the future."

This collaboration will also include expertise from Beyond Surface Technologies (BST), a Swiss company whose mission is to create textile finishes with the lowest environmental impact, causing no unnecessary harm without compromising on performance. BST is currently developing renewable plant-based finishes as alternatives to conventional perfluorinated compounds (PFC) and is a partner of Checkerspot.

In 2017, Gore announced the goal of eliminating PFCs of environmental concern from the lifecycle of its consumer fabrics products. In early 2018, Gore reached its first key milestone on this roadmap by introducing the first Gore-Tex laminates with a new durable water repellency (DWR) treatment free of PFCs of environmental concern for general outdoor use. Gore's deep understanding of outdoor enthusiasts and industry needs drives development of materials with meaningful performance advantages, from hiking in downpours to protecting first responders.

"We continuously strive to optimise the combination of performance and sustainability credentials within our fabrics products. Targeting specific use cases and applications, we design, prototype and test new materials with Gore's state-of-the-art facilities while leveraging the expertise and capabilities of our fabrics organisation," said Mike Magyar, technical scout, Gore Innovation Centre. "Our material science expertise and decades of industry experience help pioneering startups like Checkerspot turn concepts into realities and achieve mutually beneficial goals."

"By engaging directly with product developers and collaborating with socially responsible partners, we are able to design and bring to market superior products with better, more sustainable materials," said Charles Dimmler, CEO, Checkerspot. "We are excited about this collaboration. Our goal is to commercialise best-in-class performance materials developed with sustainability as a key consideration and promote similar change across industries beyond apparel."

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SV)