We’re a nation obsessed with puffer jackets. But are they sustainable?

2 days ago 1

Fashion connection oregon medicine for lazy dressing? Whatever your view, determination are fewer wintertime garments that disagreement sentiment – and pull arsenic galore memes – arsenic the humble puffer jacket.

The jacket, which has been astir for astir a century, has go its ain taste touchpoint, whether it’s Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry successful coordinating ones, Rihanna astatine the 2023 Super Bowl oregon the Pope “wearing” a pick puffer, courtesy of AI and Balenciaga. But whether you similar modular black, oregon the chaotic colours and patterns of brands specified arsenic Gorman and Unreal Fur, 1 happening is clear: erstwhile it comes to the sustainability credentials of the humble puffer, determination are shades of grey.

“They’re rather analyzable garments,” says Professor Alice Payne, dean of RMIT University’s School of Fashion and Textiles.

Payne, whose probe has a sustainability focus, says the ammunition of puffer jackets is often made from 1 (synthetic) fabric, portion the filling is made of different material, which tin see carnal feathers (such arsenic duck oregon goose down), recycled integrative bottles, oregon fossil fuel-derived nylons. Both parts tin airs biology problems successful their manufacturing, and challenges for recycling the garment.

Choosing good is made much confusing for consumers by the information that terms unsocial doesn’t bespeak whether a garment is sustainable. Still, astatine the cheaper extremity of the market, it’s highly apt a compromise has been made connected thing from worldly sourcing to the labour conditions of the workers who made the jacket. Payne says consumers indispensable determine which values are astir important to them successful a jacket, past bargain accordingly.

“We can’t bash everything close arsenic consumers, but we tin [ask ourselves], ‘What’s the relation of this overgarment for me, and what are the morals and values successful [the purchase]?’” she says, listing carnal welfare, show and worldly sourcing arsenic examples.

So, against a rising tide of “greenwashing” and spurious biology claims, however tin you cognize if the puffer overgarment you’re buying is much sustainable? How are brands innovating to marque 1 of our most-loved garments kinder to the planet? And should we beryllium buying them astatine all?

When did we each commencement wearing puffers?

The puffer we cognize and emotion began its beingness arsenic a overgarment made from hot-air balloon worldly stuffed with down astir 100 years ago. Its creator, Australian chemist and mountaineer George Finch, received rather the ribbing from his peers implicit his “eiderdown coat”. So it’s just to accidental the puffer took a portion to gain its thoroughfare cred.

Australian chemist and mountaineer George Finch archetypal made a overgarment utilizing goose down.

Early versions of the overgarment much intimately resembling today’s styles began to look successful the 1930s, but it was the hip-hop and rap civilization of the 1980s and 1990s that precipitated the puffer’s leap into the mainstream.

According to online retailer The Iconic, puffer jackets stay consistently successful its apical 100 searches – income are up 30 per cent connected past year, according to a spokeswoman – with the astir fashionable brands including Kathmandu and The North Face.

Far from being a garment exclusively designed for the outdoors (as successful existent hiking, arsenic opposed to “quiet outdoors” and the “gorpcore” trends) the puffer has besides received the luxury attraction from Balenciaga and Moncler, which has worked with houses including Valentino to crook the puffer overgarment into haute couture.

Still, contempt Vogue Business asserting precocious past year that the marketplace has reached highest puffer, the planetary marketplace for coats and jackets remains dependable astatine $79 billion. According to Vogue, “those with function, versatility and much sustainable credentials” volition triumph out.

How greenish is your (black) jacket?

In 2022, outdoor marque Kathmandu released a overgarment it marketed arsenic afloat biodegradable. But the institution was aboriginal accused of greenwashing, pulling an advertisement that the Advertising Standards Authority successful New Zealand recovered breached the code. The issue? The overgarment could interruption down successful landfill, but lone successful a precise acceptable of circumstances that are beyond the scope of astir nationalist waste-disposal schemes.

The contented of greenwashing successful a class that is dominated by garments made from petrochemical-based materials continues to confound consumers and springiness definite brands a mendacious halo, says Payne. One of the astir confusing aspects, she says, is the usage of recycled polyester derived from integrative portion bottles.

“You could accidental yes, that’s large due to the fact that it’s diverting these bottles distant from waste, and utilizing them successful different product,” Payne says. “The occupation is those bottles person an existing circular strategy – if you enactment them successful a puffer jacket, they are efficaciously locked up successful determination [and cannot beryllium recycled again].”

Puff, without the fluff

In 2017, New Zealand-based outdoors marque Icebreaker announced its program to go plastic-free by 2023. But 1 obstacle was its scope of puffer jackets, which astatine the clip were made from nylon, says the company’s manager of materials and innovation Jordi Beneyto-Ferre.

Sheep connected Nokomai Station (left), which grows wool for the manner manufacture utilizing regenerative farming, and Icebreaker’s merino loft jacket.

As the institution worked to make an alternate from earthy fibres, eventually, successful 2023, it had to delete the benignant and locomotion distant from a heap of revenue, helium says. “If [we were] aft a speedy buck, we could person gone down the way of [goose] down and beryllium done. But, for us, it took rather a batch of clip to make a padding made from merino to make the loft needed.”

Icebreaker’s puffer ne'er returned, its spot taken by a overgarment made from wool and fabric that Beneyto-Ferre argues is adjacent better. Unlike down, wool doesn’t illness erstwhile wet, and dissimilar nylon, the overgarment doesn’t necessitate tumble drying to clasp its lofty appearance. But astatine $540, it’s not for everyone.

Beneyto-Ferre says it’s important consumers person an concern mindset. “I’d similar to deliberation we are inspiring different brands – that you tin person a sustainable concern that doesn’t person to trust connected plastic,” helium says.

The ‘new’ sustainability

At the aforesaid clip arsenic it phases retired plastic, Icebreaker is besides investing heavy successful wool derived from regenerative farms, including the 40,000-hectare Nokomai Station, located astir an hr and a fractional southbound of Queenstown.

Regenerative agriculture – low-impact farming that respects quality – whitethorn not beryllium peculiarly sexy, but it is emerging arsenic the caller golden modular for sustainability. BritishVogue precocious called it the “future of your wardrobe”. And brands specified arsenic Stella McCartney, Reformation and Maggie Marilyn person already caught on.

Now a London-based startup has its eyes connected disrupting the puffer overgarment market. Launched successful 2020, Ponda makes a synthetic-fill alternate from plants grown successful regenerated wetlands successful the British countryside, adjacent Bristol.

Co-founder Antonia Jara-Contreras says the material, called Biopuff, is comparable to down for warmth and, erstwhile blended with a circumstantial benignant of recycled polyester, tin interruption down successful a regular landfill successful 2 years.

“People person considered materials and [ethical] standards, but worldly wellness has ne'er been portion of the criteria [for sustainability],” she says. “But radical are starting to inquire those questions.”

Jara-Contreras says consumers should commencement to spot Biopuff successful immoderate brands’ jackets successful precocious 2025 oregon aboriginal 2026. She says the eventual extremity is to marque it accessible and affordable, and not a luxury merchandise lone the astir costly brands tin use. “If you privation to make existent impact, you person to people the masses.”

The writer travelled to New Zealand courtesy of Icebreaker.

Make the astir of your health, relationships, fittingness and nutrition with our Live Well newsletter. Get it successful your inbox each Monday.