Polar fleece

Blankets made out of polar fleece.

Polar fleece is a soft napped insulating fabric made from a type of polyester called polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or other synthetic fibers. Other names for this fabric are "Polar Wool," "Vega Wool," or "Velo Wools." Despite names suggesting the product is made of natural material, polar fleece is 100% polyethylene terephthalate.

Uses

Polar fleece is used in jackets, hats, sweaters, sweatpants, cloth nappies, gym clothes, hoodies, inexpensive throw blankets, and high-performance outdoor clothing, and can be used as a vegan alternative to wool. It can be made partially from recycled plastic bottles and is very light, soft and easy to wash.[1]

History

One of the first forms was Polar Fleece, created in Massachusetts in 1979 by Malden Mills, now Polartec LLC.[2] This was a new, light, and strong pile fabric meant to mimic—and in some ways surpass—wool. Aaron Feuerstein intentionally declined to patent Polar fleece, allowing the material to be produced cheaply and widely by many vendors, leading to the material's quick and wide acceptance.[3][4][5]

Characteristics

A lightweight, warm, and soft fabric, fleece has some of wool's good qualities but weighs a fraction of the lightest available woolens. Polar fleece garments traditionally come in different thicknesses: micro, 100, 200, and 300, with 300 being the thickest and least flexible.

It is hydrophobic, holding less than 1% of its weight in water. It retains much of its insulating powers even when wet. It is machine washable and dries quickly. It is a good alternative to wool (of particular importance to those who are allergic or sensitive to wool, and to vegans). It can also be made out of recycled PET bottles, or even recycled fleece. Despite its fuzzy appearance and feel, it is not flammable, but instead melts when exposed to flame.

There are disadvantages to this fabric as well. Its hydrophobic quality means it doesn't allow sweat to move through the fabric to evaporate during strenuous activity. Regular polar fleece is not windproof[6] and does not absorb moisture (although this is often seen as a benefit, per above).[7][8][9] Fleece readily generates static electricity, which causes the accumulation of lint, dust, and pet hair. It is also susceptible to damage from high temperature washing, tumble drying or ironing. Lower-quality polar fleece material is also prone to pilling.

Environmental issues

Berners-Lee reckons the average greenhouse gas footprint of polar fleece in manufacturing carpets at 5.55 kg CO2 equivalent per kilo, when produced in Europe. This gives it almost the same carbon footprint as wool, but with greater durability.[10]

Non-recycled fleece is made from non-renewable petroleum derivatives. Even if made of recycled materials, fleece relies on a continued production of non-renewable fossil fuels for the raw material.

When fleece goes through the laundry, it generates microplastics which become part of domestic waste water. Municipal waste water systems often discharge into rivers and oceans.[11] PET does not biodegrade and suspended microplastics are easily ingested by marine life.

References

  1. ↑ Polar Fleece history and the history of pile fabrics
  2. ↑ Greenbaum, Hilary; Rubinstein, Dana (2011-11-25). "The Evolution of Fleece, From Scratchy to Snuggie". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
  3. ↑ "http://citizensforabetternorwood.blogspot.com/2009/03/xavier-hosting-aaron-feuerstein-on.html". Citizens For A Better Norwood. 2009-06-29. External link in |title= (help)
  4. ↑ Rabbi Avi Shafran (2002-06-22). "Mr. Feuerstein is a legend in the corporate world. His company is now bankrupt and he doesn't regret a thing.".
  5. ↑ "Aaron Feuerstein". 2006-07-07.
  6. ↑ Polartec Windpro web page
  7. ↑ Columbia Layering Guide for Warmth and Comfort by Frank Ross
  8. ↑ Choosing and Using a Quarter Sheet. Discussion of characteristics of wool vs. fleece
  9. ↑ Moisture Buffering
  10. ↑ Mike Berners-Lee, How Bad are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything (London: Profile, 2010), p. 112 (table 6.1), http://books.google.is/books?id=zs13m5JquBwC&.
  11. ↑ "Blue Hill Group Studying Plastic in Maine Sea". WABI-TV. 2013-10-14. Retrieved 3 May 2014.

External links

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