Sam Fortescue looks at the latest clothing developments making technical marine clothing more eco-friendlyBack in the days when togging up for a sail meant donning a stout Guernsey and some tightly woven gaberdines, sustainability was barely on the agenda. Wool and cotton were the main fabrics of choice, with perhaps a latex or wax coating to offer a modicum of waterproofing.
\nToday there is an astonishing array of technical fabrics and clothing to keep us dry inside and out without cramping our range of movement. Garments keep working in the Southern Ocean, in the Arctic Circle and under intense activity. But alas, there is a cost to progress, because we rely almost exclusively on man-made synthetic fibres and coatings whose chief precursor is crude oil.
\nThe problem with wet weather gear is in fact several fold, because these are composite garments built in several layers. The outer layer of fabric will typically be polyester or nylon, and it is treated with something called a Durable Water Repellent (DWR) coating \u2013 a chemical which makes water bead off. Then there is a vanishingly thin synthetic membrane sandwiched between the inner and outer layers of the garment, made of a polymer.
\nToxic compounds
\nUntil recently, DWR has been manufactured from a chemical family known as perfluorinated compounds, or PFCs. These are related to Teflon and are described as \u2018forever chemicals\u2019 because their key characteristic is not to break down in nature (they wouldn\u2019t work very well if they did). They\u2019re toxic substances, and research suggests that they are carcinogenic and interrupt the reproductive cycle. Many waterproof membranes, including Gore-Tex, are made from sheets of extended PTFE (aka Teflon), which belongs to the same family of chemicals.
\nSailors are drawn two ways on this, because the instinct to preserve the elements on which we rely is strong. At the same time, nobody wants to go back to the dark days of sodden woollens and chattering teeth.
\nFortunately, yarn manufacturers, chemical giants and garment makers are all pulling in the same direction (and will be regulated to do so) and there are interesting developments in the pipeline.
\nZhik\u2019s eVent fabric uses a 50% bio-based membrane in its offshore gear
\nDWR
\nIn terms of unintended home goals, this is a big one for sailing. Most brands relied on long-chain C8 (with eight carbon atoms) chemistry until long after the PFC health scandal broke around DuPont in the US. Now there is growing regulatory pressure to eliminate all PFC treatments, with the EU mulling a ban for 2027 and California a step ahead in 2025. Only ocean racing and security forces are exempt, so companies are scrambling to develop \u2018green\u2019 alternatives.
\nMost have already made the step to short-chain C6 chemistry, which breaks down more readily in the environment. \u201cWe did a big trial with the GB Sailing Team coaches \u2013 they put ridiculous hours on their kit, took it offshore, and they didn\u2019t see much of a difference,\u201d says Musto product technologist Suzanne Baxter.
\nMusto has already formulated a PFC-free treatment, known generically as C0, which it uses in its second-tier BR2 line of foulies. But one of the problems with C0 treatments is that they don\u2019t repel oil. \u201cIf oil can start to get through to the membrane, then it pushes the holes open and in time it can start to leak,\u201d continues Baxter. \u201cWe\u2019ve added more into the mechanical finish but one of the problems when you do that is it reduces the breathability. We ended up changing the membrane to make it more breathable to counteract the extra chemistry we had to put into the fabric. We moved to a bi-component membrane with hydrophilic membrane on the inside.\u201d
\nDWR coatings make water bead off the surface, as shown by Helly Hansen\u2019s FP Foil Jacket \u2013 the challenge is finding alternatives to PFC-based coatings
\nGore, which certifies the fabric used in MPX and HPX gear, is also working to eliminate toxic DWR at its end too. The company says it is on track to transition to a PFC-like chemical that is not of environmental concern by the end of 2025, including the Gore-Tex Pro products that go into the marine sector (including Musto and North Sails Performance gear).
\nGill has got there already, switching all its wet weather gear to its plant-based XPEL treatment and believes it\u2019s the only marine brand to offer this level of water-repellency through a plant-based DWR coating. Louis Burton and Conrad Colman have put the finish through its paces in the Southern Ocean and on the Route du Rhum.
\nZhik has also formulated a \u2018green\u2019 DWR treatment, which it markets as XWR. It is super stretchy and only appears on some of the lighter-weight tops at the moment. \u201cIt is currently not on our range of OFS [offshore gear], but as those ranges get refreshed and made in future, all the lines will be moved across to the PFC-free coatings,\u201d says Zhik\u2019s head of design and production, Drue Kerr.
\nGill now uses a plant-based DWR coating for water-repellency
\nWashability
\nHenri Lloyd is migrating all but two of its lines over to a non-PFC based treatment over the rest of this year, but it is the pinnacle M-Pro and O-Race products which are sticking out. \u201cWe\u2019re working on that,\u201d says CEO Graham Allen.
\nNot currently in the sailing world, chemical specialist Archroma has developed a water-based treatment called Smartrepel hydro which lasts for at least 20 washes \u2013 more, probably, than most of our foulies will undergo!
\nBut some argue that the whole DWR approach is flawed. And Allen at Henri Lloyd is one of them: \u201cIt\u2019s not about repelling moisture chemically, it\u2019s about not absorbing it in the first place,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen a new polymer C0 from Japan that doesn\u2019t absorb moisture in the first place. The weave of the fabric is really fine, so there\u2019s less place for moisture to get into.\u201d The fabric could be in products by 2025.
\nRucksack brand Fj\u00e4llraven uses a polyurethane spray for its waterproofing. And Musto is looking into the possibility of switching nylon and polyester for more hydrophobic polypropylene yarn, as well as infusing the yarn itself with a water-hating treatment.
\nRecycling and more
\nIt is becoming easier and cheaper to collect waste plastic and turn it into virgin yarn for a new generation of clothing. Nylon is typically spun out of discarded fishing nets, old carpet and post-industrial waste fibre, while polyester is manufactured from old PET drinks bottles. And the benefits are huge, keeping billions of items of waste out of landfill, consuming less than half the energy of virgin material.
\nRecycled and virgin yarn are indistinguishable, so there is no difference in performance. No wonder, then, that sailing brands are incorporating more and more of it into their products. In the space of just 12 months, Helly Hansen has switched its wet weather gear and almost every other line to 100% recycled yarn in its Ocean Bound scheme. Many of the products in Musto\u2019s top HPX and MPX clothing lines incorporate around 50% recycled polyester, all concentrated in the shell. Gill\u2019s OS2 uses recycled nylon for the shell and recycled polyester fleece lining, adding up to a 98% recycled jacket. Slam also includes a high proportion of recycled yarn in its gear.
\nAt the other end of the chain, Henri Lloyd works with a not-for-profit organisation called Worn By Us so that British customers can recycle end-of-life garments. If the clothing is still usable, it goes on sale and the owner receives 40% off the price. \u201cThe worst-case situation is the old clothes get shredded and used as building insulation,\u201d says Allen. \u201cThey have another life afterwards. Nothing goes to landfill.\u201d Zhik and Finisterre also offer recycling schemes.
\nBut true recycling would be circular, allowing old sailing jackets to be turned back into new ones, and here there are some problems to overcome. One of these is the way in which fabrics and materials are mixed in a laminate \u2013 a nylon face, PTFE and polyurethane membrane, polyester inner mesh \u2013 not to mention adhesive, plastic zips, reflective patches, thread and seam tape. Disassembling this into its constituents is currently impossible.
\nPip Hare testing Helly gear racing her IMOCA Medallia
\nOne solution mooted by Musto is to use the same plastic throughout. Its One Single Material line includes dozens of products from puffers and beanies to polo shirts and shorts \u2013 all made from polyester. But you won\u2019t find any of its frontline waterproof jackets and trousers in the range, because the performance isn\u2019t there. Helly Hansen also has a limited Mono Material Line.
\nZhik sounds a note of caution about the true sustainability of the single material products. \u201cCurrently [they] lose performance and degrade quickly in a saltwater environment,\u201d says Drue Kerr. \u201cIt\u2019s our belief that this is not sustainable practice; if a product is not appropriate for its end use, it simply won\u2019t last and will have a more detrimental effect to the environment.\u201d
\nA wafer-thin question
\nMembranes are the final element in the sustainability conundrum. This is the secret ingredient which gives the garment its main waterproof and breathable characteristics, without which we\u2019d either get wet in a storm or hot and sweaty on the inside.
\nThe two common approaches are to sandwich an incredibly thin layer of ePTFE or polyurethane between the shell and lining of a garment, and many manufacturers combine the two into a so-called bi-component membrane. The PTFE is extremely breathable, while the polyurethane protects it and enhances waterproofing.
\nBut PTFE is still derived from damaging forever chemicals and polyurethane is another oil-based polymer. So clothing companies are also experimenting with bio-based alternatives that could have a lower carbon footprint. eVent is the manufacturer behind the membrane in Zhik\u2019s OFS800 gear, and has come up with a membrane that\u2019s 50% based on castor beans. Meanwhile, Japanese technical fabric specialist Toray (which supplies Henri Lloyd and Helly Hansen) also offers a 30-50% plant-based product.
\nBuying reused or from ethical brands such as Patagonia and Finisterre makes sustainable sense
\nPinch of salt
\nOnce again, Zhik is more circumspect: \u201cZhik is experimenting with many non-virgin sourced membrane materials, different manufacturing methods as well as novel membrane composites,\u201d says Kerr. \u201cIn our opinion, truly \u2018sustainable\u2019 performance waterproof membranes that are suitable for extreme saltwater environments are not yet available.\u201d
\nThe words \u2018saltwater environment\u2019 really are key here \u2013 lots of promising developments from other sectors sink on the high seas \u2013 such as Polartec\u2019s Neoshell membrane made of polyurethane, used in ski and mountain gear. It\u2019s extremely breathable, thanks to a novel production technique called \u2018electrospinning\u2019, which gives much closer control over the structure of the membrane. While Neoshell itself doesn\u2019t like salt, electrospinning could still offer promise.
\nAmphico is pursuing another route, using an unnamed polymer (not PTFE) to create a novel microporous membrane. In combination with a tightly-woven hydrophobic yarn that needs no DWR treatment at all on the face fabric, Amphitex can achieve results well within the envelope for sailing gear. \u201cWe believe our Amphitex material is suitable for the marine environment,\u201d says a spokesperson. \u201cBut it hasn\u2019t been tested yet in sailing jackets.\u201d
\nSail Racing meanwhile has incorporated the first chemical-free, fast drying down insulation in its latest Vectran range. This ExpeDRY technology uses non-ionic gold nanoparticles in the down cluster to evaporate water away quicker at a molecular level, so garments potentially dry twice as fast.
\nGore is currently testing a PTFE-free membrane with Musto in the Ocean Race, based on expanded polyethylene (ePE). It has performed well in other sectors, and is already available in sports and outdoor wear.
\n\u201cWe are confident that the new Gore-Tex membrane will be suitable for water application,\u201d says Gore\u2019s Devan la Brash. \u201cExtensive field testing to date shows positive experiences for the wearers and final conclusions will be made in the coming months.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The post Clothing of the future: Eco friendly sailing kit appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sam Fortescue looks at the latest clothing developments making technical marine clothing more eco-friendlyBack in the days when togging up for a sail meant donning a stout Guernsey and some tightly woven gaberdines, sustainability was barely on the agenda. Wool … <\/p>\n