Fleece - a little clarification
For most people, the word fleece is perceived as a separate material. But this is not going to be right. We at Tufte will try to solve this. Fleece is a common term for many different fabrics with a hairy fabric surface, and can be made far more sustainable than using polyester.
THE DISADVANTAGE WITH POLYESTERFLEECE
For many years, the polyester fleece sweater has been a popular garment, and most people have one lying around at home or in the cabin. The "fleece sweater" has become a separate concept, and this synthetic sweater most of us think of then is cheap, practical, warm, light and soft. However, to recover polyester, a chemical mixture of two petroleum fibers is used, which is melted into a thick syrup, before it hardens and is spun into thread. This is not particularly environmentally friendly, and the process releases lots of substances that pollute nature.
POLYESTERFLEECE, IN BRIEF
Environmental damage
Synthetic oil-based fiber
Microplastic during washing and use, which ends up in nature and the sea
Upon ignition, the material will melt on the body and create major burns
Loses its insulating effect when wet
Smells fast when used
Static
FLEECE OF RECYCLED POLYESTER
Sometimes bottles and other plastic are recycled, and made into thread, which in turn turns into clothes and fleece material. This is better than conventional polyester, and manufacturers say that for every meter of recycled polyester material, 8 plastic bottles are kept away from the filling. It is good! However, since the material is made of plastic, microplastic is still sprinkled during use and especially when washing in the washing machine. This plastic ends up in nature and contributes to a constant accumulation of plastic in the sea. Some sources estimate an annual emission of approx. 600 tonnes of microplastic in the sea via washing of synthetic textiles in Norway alone. And some garments, including polyester fleece, can emit as much as 1,900 different plastic fibers when washed.
TUFTE FALCON - BETTER FLEECE
Do not worry, you can still use fleece! Fleece means "garment with a furry fabric surface" and can thus also be made of environmentally friendly materials, such as wool or organic cotton - both of which are far better alternatives for nature! We at Tufte make our own wool fleece from 100% super fine merino wool, completely free of plastic and synthetic fibers. We call the garments Falcon. These wool-based garments have the properties many like of polyester fleece, plus many more - but none of the negative ones!
Hope this made you a little wiser and gives you inspiration to use garments that are good for both you and nature. We at Tufte can at least promise you that we will never make fleece from polyester, so you can be sure that a fleece jacket from us is always environmentally friendly and kind to the planet and the future.
