-By Pratyasha Sarkar
Swedish companies Helly Hansen and Isbjörn are the first customers of a new generation of insulating material that will be introduced to the market by PrimaLoft. PrimaLoft Ocean Bound Plastic is the name of the substance, and as its name implies, it is created mostly from plastic garbage gathered close to beaches. All of the components of the new “high performance” insulating substance are post-consumer recycled garbage. In particular, plastic bottles collected within a 50 km radius of coastal areas account for 60% of the recycled material. This is an important aspect because it deals with a problem with marine plastic trash.
“The quality of plastic quickly degrades once it’s exposed to the elements in ocean water, making it unusable for most recycling efforts,” said Tara Maurer-Mackay, senior vice-president of product planning at PrimaLoft. “By capturing plastic waste before it can reach the ocean, we’re able to use the material to create products that offer our brand partners and consumers the best mix of performance and versatility, with a reduced environmental impact,” she continued.
