HeiQ, Patagonia team for sustainable textile technology

The Swiss textile technology innovator HeiQ and sustainable outdoor clothing brand Patagonia have teamed up for an exclusive strategic research partnership  to develop a sustainable textile finishing technology that produces breathable and durable water repellence (DWR) in fabrics. Patagonia was recently recognised for its contributions in waste reduction in its manufacturing chain.

“A central component to Patagonia’s Material Innovation Strategy is to minimise the proliferation of toxic chemistries," said Matt Dwyer, director of Material Innovation and Development at Patagonia. "However, we will not be successful unless we also achieve the quality and performance that our customers demand. Shattering this status quo for DWR is of paramount importance to Patagonia, and calculated partnership is a key means of doing so.”

“After Patagonia conducted an exhaustive DWR exploration, HeiQ emerged as a natural partner in its ability to conduct world class research while commercialising high performing, sustainable textile finishes.  We believe that HeiQ will augment and amplify our capability portfolio,” added Dwyer.

For decades, Patagonia has been leading the industry towards building high-performance products with the vision to a greener and more sustainable future for our environment.

Commenting on the collaboration, vice president of HeiQ Brandforce Colin Lantz said: “At HeiQ, we carefully choose our brand partners before initiating a cooperative research project to ensure that the joint effort is going to create the highest value possible for both parties, and more importantly, for consumers… Patagonia and HeiQ share the same vision that technology can perfect our every-day textile products.”

Dr. Murray Height, co-founder and chief technology officer of the HeiQ Group explained the company is actively researching water repellency on textiles "and have worked towards non-pfc DWR technology for over five years. This project aims to realise an improved non-pfc DWR technology and achieve a new level of performance in this field.”

HeiQ’s product portfolio contains several industry-leading fluorine-free DWR technologies, including HeiQ’s Eco Dry product. It is one of the most effective non-pfc water repellent textile technologies on market, capable of achieving water repellency performance identical to or better than PFC C6 levels.