OR Summer '22 Report
Insulation - Sustainability With
Thermoregulation
By Kathlyn Swantko
Along with sustainability, the current trend within the insulation industry is towards improving comfort. Good thermal insulation properties are required for clothing and textiles used in both cold and warm climates. When the wearer performs hard work, it is important that the clothing effectively transmits the body moisture to retain an acceptable comfort level. Insulation for apparel & gear provides energy, well-being, and comfort to the user to produce an effective technical insulation within a variety of environments.
Thermoregulation is a process that allows the body to maintain a comfortable core internal temperature. It is defined as the absence of being too cool or too warm. The thermal comfort of clothing is associated with the clothing’s ability to maintain the thermal balance of the human body and its responses to the changing interactions between the body and its environment.
At OR Summer ’22, two insulation producers featured technologies to address sustainability and thermo-regulation through innovative insulation technologies.
HD® WOOL Apparel Insulation is 100% natural, renewable, and biodegradable. Made from hand-selected traceable British wool, HD® Wool Apparel Insulation provides breathability, odor-inhibiting comfort, and offers moisture management through a range of machine washable weights (75gsm to 200gsm).
Performance Apparel Insulation is for those who define quality beyond what they can see, and who are also conscious of their environmental impact. The product is performance led, ethically driven, and fully traceable back to the farm where it was grown and sourced via the Woolkeepers®, a customized quality assurance platform. HD® WOOL actively supports the British farmers from which it is sourced.
The fiber technology in HD® WOOL is engineered by nature to keep the wearer in an ongoing comfort zone. HD® WOOL Apparel Insulation: EVOLVE ACTIVE is a machine-washable blend of hand-selected British wool and PLA for active performance outerwear. HD® WOOL Apparel Insulation: PURE is British sourced wool for luxury and fashion outerwear.
HD® Wool Apparel Insulation, driven by innovation, gives its technical team the ability to manage all areas of the wool supply chain. Brands that choose to use HD®Wool Apparel Insulation can customize the product, giving outdoor clothing manufacturers, designers, retailers, and consumers the option to choose from a variety of lighter or heavier insulation materials for several year-round applications.
Thermore®, based in Milan, Italy, has been on the leading edge in thermal insulation technology and continues to be a pioneer in the development of advanced fibers and innovative structures that help your body maintain its natural warmth. The vision and entrepreneurial spirit from its earlier business years are still the foundation for Thermore®'s business philosophy as it looks to the future.
At OR Summer 2020, based on a broad reassessment study of consumer ethical preferences, Thermore® has revealed that consumers are now moving towards both more non-allergenic down and easy-care down products. The study also indicated that the performance of synthetic down fibered products are now 90% as good as natural down products. The vision and entrepreneurial spirit from its earlier business years are still the foundation for Thermore®'s business philosophy as it looks to the future.
Thermore®’s new Ecodown® is the only durable thermal insulation product in the market that is made from 100%, post-consumer plastic bottles. The evolution of Thermore®’s Eco Down® blown fibers, in either the Loft or the Lite versions, provide a wide variety of weights and thicknesses (over 10 variations). This caters perfectly to every possible design requirement, while offering the consumer a better aesthetic value, and long-term warmth over the life of the garment. Equally impressive is the fact that the new Ecodown® 100% recycled thermal insulation does not require special quilting restrictions or fabrics, and can be washed and/or dry cleaned with confidence. Ecodown® offers a smart option to real down feathers and is a high performance, 100% sustainable synthetic that offers total freedom of design.