Leaders in circular materials and textile innovation, ALLIED Feather + Down, NetPlus®, PERTEX, and Resortecs, have partnered with Swedish backcountry ski apparel brand Peak Performance to introduce a groundbreaking circular jacket concept.
The collaboration presents the Peak Performance R&D Helium Loop Anorak, an innovative outerwear product designed to demonstrate how responsible sourcing, advanced materials and circular design principles can work together to create a new benchmark in sustainable apparel.
Traditionally, high-performance garments that combine multiple components such as down insulation, zippers and elastic trims have been difficult to recycle. The complexity of separating these materials at the end of a product’s life has limited recycling possibilities across the outdoor apparel sector.
Through collaboration with circularity-focused material partners, Peak Performance has developed the Helium Loop Anorak to address this challenge. The project highlights how designing garments with recyclability in mind from the earliest stages can significantly improve circular outcomes.
“For years now, brands have wanted to introduce more circularity into their products, but the onus has fallen on their ingredient partners and startups to make that happen,” said Matthew Betcher, Creative Director with ALLIED. “The reality is that garments need to be designed for circularity before any sense of recyclability can even start to be possible. That is why we are excited to bring our areas of expertise as innovative ingredient brands to Peak Performance to build, from the very beginning, a truly circular product. And what is even more exciting is that this project can stand as a beacon for entire product lines in the future.”
Each partner contributes a specialised element to the product’s circular design.
ALLIED Feather + Down provides 800-fill power down insulation, which is renewable, recyclable and biodegradable. NetPlus, created from discarded fishing nets recovered before entering the ocean, converts the waste into 100 percent post-consumer recycled nylon yarn. This yarn is then woven by PERTEX to produce the shell and lining fabrics for the Helium Loop jacket.
Meanwhile, Resortecs integrates its Smart Stitch™ technology, a heat-activated thread that allows garments to be easily disassembled. At the end of the product’s life cycle, the thread can be activated through Smart Disassembly™, causing the stitching to melt under controlled conditions. This enables the down insulation and outer shell materials to be separated and recycled individually.
Speaking about the project, designer Marie Andersson commented, “The core insight is that true circularity isn’t about accepting compromises, it’s about engineering garments to be unmade as thoughtfully as they’re made. Our R&D Helium Loop proves that when premium materials meet thoughtful disassembly design with end-of-life in mind, circularity becomes a performance advantage as every component maintains its highest value across multiple lifecycles.”
David Stover, CEO of Bureo, the company behind NetPlus, added, “The Helium Loop R&D project demonstrates how responsible materials and design can prevent pollution and reduce reliance on fossil fuels – a win for the outdoor community. Technical outerwear is typically built from crude oil (virgin plastic), an outdated model that negatively impacts people and the planet through the entire supply chain. By connecting better materials with thoughtful design, the Peak Performance team was able to explore the worthwhile challenge of building products suited for end-of-life recycling and push forward on the industry transition away from fossil fuels.”
The Helium Loop Anorak represents an important milestone in Peak Performance’s long-term strategy to achieve circularity across its entire product range by 2030.
