More circular economy: Sustainable down jacket with high recycled content

The special feature of the Winter Recycled Down Jacket from Chinese brand Tanboer is its sustainable concept based entirely on innovative, sustainable materials. The highlight of this down jacket is the use of a recycled Dermizax laminate with a bio-based polyester shell from Japanese functional fabric specialist Toray. The new bio-based material reduces carbon emissions and oil dependency, and the manufacturing process is more environmentally friendly.

Dermizax ecospec membrane is derived from natural, renewable plant sources, with corn stalks as the main raw material. The bio-based component accounts for up to 47 percent of the final fabric composition, reducing the use of petroleum resources by 47 percent and CO2 emissions by 50 to 56 percent compared to conventional nylon fabrics.

During the manufacturing process, the plant material is fermented using genetically modified organisms, water, vitamins and minerals to extract alcohol from the biomass. This can be further processed into new yarn.

The down filling is also made from Samsung's recycled down, while the zippers are made from post-consumer polyester and other recycled materials.

In addition to using recycled materials, Tanboer has also set up a comprehensive recycling concept to recycle the garments after their use. Tanboer collects used clothing and breaks it down into its component parts. The fabric, down, zippers and other important components are separated and sent back to suppliers such as Toray or Samsung. The supplier then goes through a second cycle of processing to make the newly recovered fabrics, down and components available to Tanboer for use in new products.

The jacket will be available in white, black and navy blue from September 2024.

• Innovative concept made from sustainable materials
• Bio-based and recycled Dermizax laminate
• Recycled down
• Soft and lightweight jacket