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The "Gore-Tex" label on rain jackets, rain trousers or shoes stands for waterproofness and breathability. Gore (English for "Gohr"), together with many other manufacturers, has long been synonymous with the use of PFAS. This chemical, which on the one hand ensures that water and mud beads up on the jackets so beautifully, on the other hand is also almost always deposited in the environment and is harmful to health. A dilemma that only a few major manufacturers have so far solved by using alternative materials. Sympatex does not use PFC in its membrane. Other manufacturers, such as Salewa, Schöffel and Jack Wolfskin, have also opted for alternatives.
ePE - waterproof and much better than the "normal" Goretex!
Patagonia and Goretex have now jointly introduced a line of functional clothing that also uses a PFC-free membrane. Matt Dwyer,
Head of Product Impact & Innovation at Patagonia, and Lara Wittmann, Global Strategic Marketer at W.L. Gore & Associates, proudly presented the new ePE membrane in Munich. According to their own statements, the development took 10 years. Gore announced the news in 2021 and the first Gore products with more environmentally friendly membranes were launched in 2022.
The name of the new material - ePE - stands for expanded polyethylene. Roughly speaking, this is a very thin film that is also used for yoghurt pots and plastic bags and is therefore quite harmless to humans. This film, explains Lara Wittmann, is laminated between two layers of fabric at Gore - and now used in Patagonia jackets and trousers - to make it waterproof and breathable at the same time. Just like the membrane with PFC before it.
You can find out more about rainwear here:
Goretex ePE membrane is designed to make Patagonia clothing lighter, more breathable and, above all, softer
Matt Dwyer reports that Patagonia tested the new Gore membrane again and again with athletes and his team before it could be used in series production. "Nobody wants to stand on an 8000m peak and the zip tears off". Both companies are now ready to launch their first products on the market and meet the highest standards. The new jackets and trousers are just as waterproof as before, but they are now much lighter, thinner, even more breathable and softer.
We were not yet able to convince ourselves of the technical capabilities at the presentation, the jackets feel more like softshell material and do not rustle like a classic hardshell jacket with Goretex Pro membrane. The Patagonia man even goes so far as to say that the new series is both better in terms of performance and better for the environment: depending on the product, 10 to 40 per cent CO2 can be avoided during production.
The problem with PFAS
Various companies, such as Gore-Tex or Vaude, want to phase out their products that contain PFAS. There are good reasons for this. These reasons are also leading to discussions in various countries about restricting these substances or, as in Germany, extensive restriction procedures are already underway.
PFASs bring several problems with them. It is not without reason that they are also referred to as eternal chemicals: in nature, they are hardly broken down. Sooner or later, the substances end up in our bodies, mainly via food and drinking water, according to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment. Once in the body, they are only slowly broken down and excreted by humans and animals.
A small proportion of PFASs are known to cause damage to health, writes the consumer advice centre. Certain PFAS are under suspicion,
- damage the liver, the hormone and immune system
- disrupt the fat metabolism
- worsen the effect of vaccinations
- result in a lower birth weight
- reduce fertility or
- cause cancer.
Environmental pollution occurs firstly and for the most part during production, secondly during washing and thirdly at the end of the product's life.
We recommend the documentary film The Devil We Know - The Invisible Poison from 2018 and the feature film released in 2019 Poisoned truth. Both revolve around the DuPont scandal of the 1990s, in which wastewater and production sludge were not disposed of properly. This led to cancer in animals and people living in the region.
Goretex and Patagonia agree: waste is the next big problem
However, both representatives, Lara Wittmann from Goretex and Matt Dwyer from Patagonia, already see the next big thing coming up: Waste and how to avoid it. The new ePE material is less harmful to the environment because it does not contain PFAS. But it is still not made from leaves or bark, but from plastic. Recycling and avoidance is therefore the next goal that both manufacturers want to tackle. Both representatives therefore made it clear that the responsibility also lies with the consumer. "Love it longer" said Lara Wittmann - meaning: look after your clothes, take them in for repairs if necessary and don't keep buying new ones.
As Matt Dwyer describes it, Patagonia already offers a repair service in its shops and at retailers. There is also a buy-back offer for used clothing. He can't tell anyone that they shouldn't buy a new jacket after three years just because something new is available. Clothes should only really be thrown away at the very end of their life cycle.
The new PFC-free functional clothing from Patagonia is already available online and initially includes jackets and trousers for mountain and ski sports. However, more are to follow. The black Untracked Ski Jacket will cost 700 euros, the Super Free Alpine Jacket 600 euros.
Marc Strucken
Editor
