Elastane
Elastane provides significant strength and elasticity and is fast drying.
Why
Elastane, also known as Lycra®, is an elastic polymer (a type of plastic) first invented by DuPont in 1958. Elastane makes garments and trims stretchy, which allows for them to be form fitting, and provide freedom of movement.
Where We Are
Elastane is a critical ingredient in our products. We have recently experimented with pre-consumer recycled versions (using scraps from elastane that has already been made) in our garments, but it will likely be one of our last materials to be completely converted to a non-virgin source. Although critical to the performance of our final products, elastane is a material we use the least when compared to all our other materials; think of a jacket with stretch—the elastane may be 8% or 9% of the total fabric package. Instead, we’re focusing on making big moves to convert heavily used fabrics (like cotton, nylon and polyester) to recycled, first.
What’s Next
We are actively looking for elastane alternatives that help provide function and are recyclable. We are investigating non-virgin sources for elastane, including recycled and bio-based versions, and we’re exploring bio-based alternatives and new polymers that are less impactful.
