Bergans launches weatherproof jacket made of sugar

Bergans of Norway is set to mark a milestone in the outdoor clothing industry with the development of its first, plant based, weatherproof jacket called the Eidfjord. It’s made using Ecodear, a 30% plant based, environmentally friendly fabric.

The lightweight Eidfjord jacket costs £280 and is made with three layers of waterproof and breathable properties, using Ecodea fabric on the outer layer. Developed in collaboration with the Japanese manufacturer Toray, the Ecodear fabric retains its performance due to the chemical structure of the Ecodear polyester being identical to conventionally produced polyester.

Bergans of Norway produced this plant-based material by utilising the waste by-product of sugar production to create an environmentally friendly and recyclable product, which helps reduce the brand’s carbon footprint, whilst conserving fossil fuels by reducing the amount of petroleum-based materials used in the production of clothing.

The development of the Eidfjord jacket is one of Bergans of Norway’s biggest efforts to help reduce the industry’s dependency on fossil fuels and is a significant contribution towards its overall focus on sustainability with its Expedition 2020 plan. This is an incentive to enhance the company’s environmental and social responsibility. The motto of Expedition 2020 is, “what we love, we will protect.”

In addition to the efforts demonstrated within the development of the Eidfjord jacket, Bergans of Norway is a bluesign system partner, which is a working solution for sustainable textile production to eliminate harmful substances throughout the entire manufacturing process and sets and controls the standards for environmentally friendly and safe production.

Bergans of Norway’s two primary goals are to have 75% of its products approved to bluesign and for 70% of products to be made of more environmentally friendly and sustainable raw materials.

“At Bergans we are passionate about providing people with great outdoor experiences. It goes without saying, that we do whatever we can to ensure that future generations can enjoy nature to the same extent as we do today,” said Bergans Sustainability Manager, Felix Ockborn.

“Bergans’ priority is to promote clean and ethical production and one of our milestones for 2016 is to ensure all our products which are manufactured using Down are done so in accordance with the Textile Exchange’s Responsible Down Standard. This means that a third party will verify that Down production, throughout the entire production chain, adheres to specific ethical standards,” said Ockborn.

Expedition 2020’s other goals include less than 2% of all shipments will be via airfreight, all packaging will be composed of sustainable sources, annual sustainable training will be required for Bergans of Norway staff and all buildings will be powered by renewable energy.