Sneak Peek: PrimaLoft to Release New Biodegradable Fabric and Insulation

Over the last few years, outdoor gear companies have pushed to make their products more eco-friendly, as consumers and manufacturers alike reckon with the reality of their environmental footprint. This year, BACKPACKER featured Marmot’s EVODry shell with permanent, PFC-free DWR; now, insulation giant PrimaLoft is getting in on the action.

Beginning in 2020, PrimaLoft and its partners will start using PrimaLoft Bio fabric and insulation, which are both fully biodegradable and the first materials of their kind.

How does it work? The fabric and insulation’s fibers are engineered to attract microbes that naturally occur in landfills. This accelerates the microbes’ fabric feast, and they eat away at the fibers in a process that leaves just water, methane, carbon dioxide, and biomass in its wake. While other fabrics and insulation might rot in a landfill for years, this technology will exponentially speed up the process. Bonus: PrimaLoft Bio will be made completely from recycled material.