Patagonia launches first bio-based jacket via Virent technology

In California, the outdoor clothing and gear giant Patagonia has launched its SugarDown Hoody, the company’s first fully biobased jacket, manufactured using Virent’s 100% plant-based paraxylene-called BioForm PX. The SugarDown Hoody is available online now. Using U.S.-grown sugar from the sugarcane fields of Louisiana, Virent produced the paraxylene-a critical component of the SugarDown Hoody’s polyester shell and liner-and a component of polyester that is typically derived from crude oil. The only difference in this case is that the paraxylene was derived directly from plants. Patagonia credited Virent’s “innovative technology” for helping produce the company’s SugarDown Hoody, following years of research to produce the first-of-its-kind product. The result is a biobased polyester with the same versatility and performance as its petroleum counterpart, but it is produced with much lower greenhouse gas emissions. Like every other Patagonia material, the biobased polyester in the SugarDown Hoody had to pass stringent lab and field-testing standards. “We’re excited to continue creating options for renewable chemicals by expanding the market for 100% biobased plastics, fibers and films,” said Virent President Dave Kettner. “Our BioForming(r) Platform for converting plant-based feedstocks into low-carbon renewable chemicals has the potential to broadly impact the renewables industry, and we’re delighted that Patagonia’s customers are benefiting from this advance in sustainable outdoor clothing.”

More on the story.