Biochemicals company UPM Biochemicals and sustainable outdoor apparel company Vaude team up to create the first ever fleece jacket made of wood-based polyester.

Polar fleece is a soft, napped insulating material that is light, soft and dries easily, making it a very suitable fabric for outdoor clothing. It is, however, made of fossil-based polyester, shedding microplastics when washed.

In the collaboration between UPM Biochemicals and Vaude, the companies will produce what they say is the first ever fleece jacket made from wood-based polyester.

The resin used to make polyester contains 30% monoethelyne glycol (MEG), which is traditionally made from crude oil. In the new process, this material is entirely replaced with bio-monoethelyne glycol (BioMEG), called BioPura, a development by UPM. The material is identical to traditional MEG and can therefore be implemented easily in existing polyester production processes.

Photo: Vaude