Sympatex takes the next consistent step of the sustainability strategy with 100% recycled membrane

The ecological alternative among functional textile specialists will present the next stage of development at the international leading trade fair for leather goods in Milan. At the joint fair stand with its longtime Italian distribution partner PIDIGI S.p.A. (hall 22, stand M17-M1/N12-20), Sympatex will also show high-performance technologies as well as new laminate developments in the footwear business division.

Improvement of the eco-balance with 100% recycled Sympatex membrane

The Sympatex membrane is PTFE-free and PFC-free. It is made of polyether-ester that represents no health hazard and can be recycled according to standard practice – analogous to PET bottles. For the first time, Sympatex already introduced a pre-consumer recycling procedure as standard for the manufacturing of the membrane in 2011. This helps to reduce the virgin material input stream by up to 15%. The material and the energy savings are created by a mono-material return of membrane production waste into the production process.

The main focus of the next step of this innovation process is the 100% recycled membrane, for which membrane waste is completely reprocessed that hasn't been used so far. Thereby, the product properties of the highly functional Sympatex membrane can be offered without any noticeable loss of quality. After the qualitative reprocessing, a new 100% recycled membrane is produced from the recycled material.

If you then laminate the 100% recycled Sympatex membrane with a 100% recycled PES lining or outer fabric, you can create a completely recycled mono-material Sympatex PES laminate.

New three-layer lining laminate made of recycled materials

In the business unit “Apparel”, Sympatex already offers a range of laminates with recycled outer and lining fabrics, whose yarns were made of recycled PET bottles. Now, the “Footwear” division will also expand its portfolio accordingly: The Munich-based functional specialist will present a new three-layer warm lining laminate with recycled materials at the Lineapelle fair stand. The yarns of the plush lining material are also made of 100% recycled PET bottles. This recycled lining material makes up more than 80% of the whole laminate. Due to the top performance of the “guaranteed green” Sympatex membrane, the laminate is 100% waterproof and windproof as well as optimally breathable. Moreover, it is highly abrasion-resistant and can entirely become part of the recycling process after the end of the product life cycle.

“The development of the 100% recycled Sympatex membrane is the next logical step of our sustainability strategy for us,” explains Dr. Rüdiger Fox, CEO Sympatex Technologies. “There is hardly another industrial product that gets closer to the customer than garment. So the customer has every right to expect us to be pioneers of health compatibility and also of constant efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. Against this background, we are particularly pleased about the growing awareness for ecological materials in the footwear sector as well.”