Sorona, a partially plant-based polymer by chemical company DuPont, today debuted the Preferred Mill Network, a global catalogue of mills that offers the full collection of sustainable Sorona subbranded fabrics for apparel brands to tap when scouting samples or sourcing of fabrics that meet Sorona’s sustainability standards.
Apparel brands can peruse Sorona fabrics inclusive of its Agile, Aura, Luxe, Profile and Revive collections, all of which have been scientifically tested to meet the performance and sustainability standards set by the Sorona team, the company said.
Its Sorona product, a 37 percent bio-based polymer that offers spinners, mills and brands an eco-efficient fiber that touts softness, durability and stretch to fabrics while upholding performance capabilities, is used in apparel applications such as athleisure and athletic wear, insulation, swimwear, outerwear, suiting, faux fur, and carpeting.
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The company said that from harvesting to production, the process for making Sorona uses 30 to 40 percent less energy and releases 56 to 63 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the production of nylon, adding that “Fabrics made from Sorona polymer can also be dyed and heat-set at much lower temperatures compared to polyester furthering the energy efficiency down the value chain.”
Its launch of the network follows Sorona’s introduction of its Common Thread Fabric Certification Program, created to instill trust and transparency within the supply chain by certifying fabrics that are made with a minimum percentage of Sorona content and are scientifically tested for a range of performance characteristics, including comfort stretch, warmth, breathability, softness, wrinkle resistance, UV and heat resistance, shape recovery, long-lasting durability, vibrant color retention, and stain resistance, among other metrics, the company said.
Just one year after its launch, Sorona has impressively certified 350 fabric mills worldwide and shipped hangtags for more than 43.7 million garments. Its most certified option in the Sorona portfolio is Agile, a comfort stretch fabric used for spandex replacement in activewear and athleisure garments, the brand noted.
Alexa Raab, DuPont global brand and communications leader, said that “The impacts of sustainability efforts are best at scale. Through the recent COP26 Climate Change Summit, we’ve seen how much work there is to do in all corners of industry.”
“We’re taking this step with the Preferred Mill Network and Common Thread Fabric Certification Program to further our commitment to transparency and ease of access to sustainable fabrics throughout the value chain.”
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