Outdoor clothing brand launched 100% bio-based jacket
Recently, in California, outdoor clothing and equipment giant Patagonia launched SugarDown Hoody, which is the company's first fully bio-based jacket made of Virent's 100% plant-based paraxylene BioForm PX. The SugarDown Hoodie is now available online. Virent uses US-grown sugar from the sugar cane fields in Louisiana to produce p-xylene, a key component of the SugarDown Hood polyester shell and liner, and the polyester component usually from crude oil. In this case, the only difference is that p-xylene comes directly from plants.
Patagonia praised Virent's "innovative technology" to help produce the company's SugarDown House. After years of research, it produced the first similar product. The result is a bio-based polyester with the same versatility and performance as petroleum products, but its greenhouse gas emissions are much lower.
Like all other Patagonian materials, the bio-based polyester in SugarDown hoodies must pass strict laboratory and field test standards. "We are pleased to continue to create options for renewable chemicals by expanding the market of 100% bio-based plastics, fibers and films," said Dave Kettner, president of Virent. "Our BioForming (r) platform, which is used to convert plant-based raw materials into low-carbon renewable chemicals, is likely to have a broad impact on the renewable energy industry. We are pleased that Patagonian customers benefit from this progress in sustainable outdoor clothing.
