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DuPont and Unifi Join Forces to Create Breakthrough Eco-Friendly Cold-Weather Apparel Insulation

Published 7 years ago | About a 5 minute read

DuPont Industrial Biosciences (DuPont) announced today a collaboration with Unifi, Inc. to create high-performance, renewably sourced garment insulation, offering leading apparel brands a new sustainable choice for cold-weather products. This partnership brings together two leaders in the materials space with unique product offerings, combining DuPont™ Sorona® polymer and Unifi REPREVE® to produce cold-weather apparel insulation that is uniquely soft and extremely durable, with excellent shape retention.

DuPont™ Sorona® is made from 37 percent renewable plant-based ingredients, using 30 percent less energy with 63 percent fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as compared to Nylon 6. The exceptional softness, inherent stain resistance and uncompromising durability of Sorona® offers customers in a wide range of industries a more sustainable, high-performance materials option. The polymer has been used in everything from carpeting to Indian sarees.

REPREVE® is a high-quality fiber containing recycled materials, including plastic water bottles. Unifi’s proprietary process turns plastic bottles into certified fiber, which is then used in thousands of different fabrics and products available globally.

“The combination of Sorona® and REPREVE® provides brands the opportunity to use a high-performance, durable insulation that dries quickly and keeps its shape even after washing,” said Michael Saltzberg, global business director for Biomaterials at DuPont. “The new insulation’s unique warmth and durability will bring customers streamlined outerwear, made from eco-friendly materials, while maintaining maximum warmth and breathability.

Unifi has a 45-year heritage as a textile solution provider driven by manufacturing innovation and creating differentiation for its customers. The company continues to build on its success by expanding its offering of branded recycled performance fibers that provide functional benefits, added comfort and aesthetic advantages. Unifi spent more than three years developing REPREVE with quality and performance as the primary goal – and recycled as the added benefit.

DuPont has a rich and deep history in the textile market, with inventions that include fibers such as nylon, Lycra®, Kevlar® and rayon – the world's first man-made fiber. More recently, in addition to Sorona®, DuPont’s biomaterials group has focused its innovations on creating other high-performing, sustainably sourced materials – the building blocks of products that consumers use every day.

“This collaboration will give customers the freedom to choose a new type of garment insulation – one that is better for the environment without compromising performance,” said Ning Hongjun, president Unifi Asia Pacific. “With our expertise in recycled polyester staple fiber and DuPont Industrial Biosciences’ industry-leading Sorona®, we look forward to seeing this breakthrough technology be widely adopted by leading brands.”

DuPont’s industry-leading excellence in the biomaterials industry has received a number of accolades over the past year, including the Platts Global Energy “Breakthrough Solution of the Year” award for a partnership with ADM on a novel process to produce FDME from fructose; Frost & Sullivan’s award for 2017 European Company of the Year Award for bio-based materials; and, most recently, PLASTICS’ 2017 Innovation in Bioplastics Award.

About Unifi:

Unifi, Inc. (NYSE:UFI) is a global textile solutions provider and one of the world’s leading innovators in manufacturing synthetic and recycled performance fibers. The company’s proprietary technologies offer increased performance, comfort and style advantages, enabling customers to develop products that perform, look and feel better. Through REPREVE®, one of Unifi’s technologies and the global leader in branded recycled performance fibers, Unifi has transformed more than 10 billion plastic bottles into recycled fiber for new clothing, shoes, home goods and other consumer products. Unifi continually innovates to meet consumer needs in moisture management, thermal regulation, antimicrobial, UV protection, stretch, water repellency and enhanced softness. Unifi collaborates with many of the world’s most influential brands in the sports apparel, fashion, home, automotive and other industries, including New Era, Lands’ End, Levi’s, Target, Ford and more. For more information about Unifi, visit www.Unifi.com.

About REPREVE:

Made by Unifi, Inc. (NYSE:UFI), REPREVE® is the global leader in branded recycled performance fibers, transforming more than 10 billion plastic bottles into recycled fiber for new clothing, shoes, home goods and other consumer products. REPREVE is the earth-friendly solution to making consumers’ favorite brands more environmentally responsible. Found in products from many of the world’s leading brands in the sports apparel, fashion, home, automotive and other industries, REPREVE fibers can also be enhanced with Unifi’s premium technologies for increased performance and comfort. For more information about REPREVE, visit www.REPREVE.com, and connect with REPREVE on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About DuPont Industrial Biosciences

DuPont Industrial Biosciences, a business unit of DowDuPont Specialty Products, works with customers across a wide range of industries to make products and industrial processes more efficient and sustainable. Through a unique combination of agriculture, biotechnology, chemistry and material science capabilities, we advance market-driven, biobased solutions to meet the needs of a growing population, while protecting our environment for future generations. For updates about how DuPont Industrial Biosciences is helping customers deliver cost-effective products with superior performance and sustainability, follow @DuPontBiobased on Twitter or visit our website at http://biosciences.dupont.com.

About DowDuPont Specialty Products

DowDuPont Specialty Products, a division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials, ingredients and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, building and construction, health and wellness, food and worker safety. DowDuPont intends to separate the Specialty Products division into an independent, publicly traded company. More information can be found www.dow-dupont.com.

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10/11/17

The DuPont Oval logo, DuPont™ and all products, unless otherwise noted, denoted with ™, ℠or ® are trademarks or registered trademarks of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company or its affiliates.

REPREVE® is a trademark of Unifi, Inc.