Elastan
Elastan provides significant strength and elasticity and is fast drying.
Why
Elastane is a critical material in our products. Also known as elastane or LYCRA, elastane is an elastic polymer (a type of plastic derived from petroleum) that makes garments and trims stretchy, which allows them to be formfitting and enables freedom of movement. Unfortunately, extracting and refining the petroleum used to make virgin elastane pollutes land, air and water, and contributes to global warming. Making the yarn is problematic, too. All elastane, both recycled and virgin, has to be dissolved in either dimethylacetamide (DMAc) or dimethylformamide (DMF) to create new yarn. Because this solvent has been linked to liver and reproductive toxicity and deemed a “Substance of Very High Concern” by the European Union, we use as little elastane as possible in our products.
When functional stretch is critical, we look to recycled elastane. We started experimenting with pre-consumer recycled versions in recent years and first added recycled elastane into our line in 2020. It has the same stretch properties as virgin elastane fiber, while allowing us to make use of materials that would otherwise end up in landfills.
Where We Are
Although it provides critical performance, elastane is one of the least used materials in our products. Think of a jacket with stretch. The elastane may be 8% or 9% of the total fabric package. Still, we believe this is an opportunity to do more with what we already have—pre-consumer recycled elastane—instead of further extracting from our planet.
To accomplish that, we use elastane left over from the manufacturing process. This excess material is collected from production lines and then reincorporated into the raw-material production stage. By using this pre-consumer recycled elastane, we can divert waste from landfills and reduce our reliance on virgin petroleum.
For the Spring 2024 season, we’re using recycled elastane in 37 styles, including our Happy Hike Studio Pants, Terravia Alpine Pants and Pack Out Hike Tights.
What’s Next
We are actively looking for elastan alternatives that help provide function and are recyclable. We are investigating non-virgin sources for elastane, including recycled and bio-based versions, and we’re exploring bio-based alternatives and new polymers that are less impactful.
