Allied Feather + Down introduces new program resulting in the highest fill recycled down available; along with Expedry anti-microbial down featuring FUZE.

MONTEBELLO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, January 25, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Coming off the heels of a global pandemic that was overwhelming devastating to the apparel and retail industries, ingredient supply brand Allied Feather + Down has doubled down on its commitment to innovation, sustainability and performance in launching two never-before-seen technologies in down insulation.

ALLIED -- the world’s leading supplier of ethically sourced and traceable down -- announces its new Expedry quick drying, anti-microbial down, featuring FUZE technology. Available to all ALLIED brand partners, Expedry is a chemical-free solution that keeps the performance that down is known for, and makes care for down products easier, while reducing energy consumption and broadening performance range.

Expedry helps reduce dry times while minimizing performance issues in wet weather by using non-ionic, permanently bonded gold nanoparticles to the down cluster. These particles work to increase the evaporation rate of water at a molecular level, without the need for heat.

This technology differs from current water resistant treatments for down. The common DWR treatments act as a hydrophobic agent which allows water to bead, keeping the down clusters drier for longer. However, once saturated, DWR treatments have no ability to accelerate drying. In real world situations, the increased evaporation rate created by Expedry could actually be of greater benefit than many DWR treatments. And once saturated through thorough cleaning, Expedry-treated garments will dry almost twice as fast. Expedry has been tested to dry 40 to 60 percent faster than untreated down, making it significantly easier and faster to fully dry a jacket in traditional and condenser dryers than ever before. It also helps down products air-dry faster between uses in extremely wet environments.

Andrew Peterson, Chief Technology Officer of FUZE Biotech, said, “Working with ALLIED on long-term sustainability goals and other exciting product developments allowed us to come across an interesting new area of study where we find that gold nanoparticles significantly increase the evaporation rate of water. This technology has exciting implications that extend far beyond the apparel industry.”

In long-term exposure in wet climates such as extreme through hikes and long expeditions, loss of warmth is primarily due to the build up of fungus and the loss of loft due to direct exposure to water. Expedry treated down dries faster, facilitating an evaporation rate greater than the absorption rate, creating a continually dry environment inhospitable to fungus.

The global leader in traceable, high-performance down insulation for garments and bedding is also announcing the highest fill-power ever achieved in a recycled down, hailed as the ingredient brand’s new RENU:750.

Until now, ALLIED brand partners and others seeking to utilize recycled down had to settle for smaller clusters and lower fill power than could previously be achieved on a commercial level. The launch of RENU:750 represents a high-performance material and the pinnacle of ALLIED’s upcycling/recycling program intended to keep more down comforters and other products out of the landfill.

Years ago, ALLIED was the first to offer GRS-certified non-blended recycled down solely collected from post consumer products that was able to consistently achieve over 700 fill power as part of their performance + sustainability ethos. After developing a large global supply chain collecting post consumer down products, the ingredient brand began to look toward an ultra-high performance recycled down option.

Due to the nature of the post-consumer collected material, it is extremely difficult to attain a consistently high fill power. ALLIED has been able to always offer recycled down to its partners that would achieve at least 700 fill power (already exceeding the industry norm), but as they refined the separation and processing for this material, it looked toward an even better performer.

“While down is already an incredibly sustainable and ingredient sourced as a by-product of the food industry, more brands started to look at more post-consumer recycled trim and materials. Recycled down has been around for a long time -- normally used as a filler for bedding products,” explains Daniel Uretsky, President of ALLIED Feather + Down. “And with a recent push towards increasing circularity, recycled down has seen a meteoric return, but it was often not possible for a brand to achieve over 700 fill power. With the quality we are known for and the brands relying on ALLIED insulations, we knew we needed to move beyond the status quo and push the limits of technical performance in recycled material.”

“Looking closely at new supply chains for post consumer goods and by having full control of our processing which many of the other recycled down suppliers sub-contract,” continued Uretsky. “We were able to consistently create a recycled down insulation that tests over 750 fill power.”

In a unique, limited launch to consumers, RENU:750 is coming to consumers in Fall 2021 with just two partner brands: Jones Snowboards in the U.S.; and fashion icon Axel Arigato from the UK.

ALLIED initially developed this unique product with Jeremy Jones to find a solution that would fit the needs for extreme technical performance, the lowest impact on the planet possible, and with animal welfare at the forefront. ALLIED was able to secure a unique supply chain and refine its processing using Palm-Oil Free detergents to provide a recycled down with the performance and sustainability that no other certified recycled down has been able to achieve - 100% post consumer in origin and certified to the Global Recycling Standard.

“For our apparel line, we followed the same procedure as for the snowboards: we do ‘blind’ field testing. Proto samples are made in different material compositions and then thoroughly field tested. We test, tweak, repeat, until we get it right. We did multiple prototype sampling rounds before we made our choices,” explained Jeremy Jones, founder of Jones Snowboards and Protect Our Winters.

Keeping the performance and sustainability metrics ALLIED is known for has allowed them to launch this new high performance recycled down, looking toward even more technical applications with RENU:750.

Scott Kaier
Formidable Media
+1 802-238-7577
scott@formidable-media.com
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