Recently, seven companies, Goldwin, Mitsubishi Corporation, Neste, SK geo centric, Indorama Ventures, India Glycols, and Chiyoda Chemical Construction Company, have been working together on a project to utilize renewable materials, bio-based raw materials, and the use of carbon dioxide capture and utilization (CC) technology to to build a more sustainable polyester fiber manufacturing supply chain.
This aims to decarbonize the polyester fiber supply chain by converting fossil fuel-derived feedstocks into other feedstocks.
The polyester fibers produced in this project are scheduled to be used in Goldwin's The North Face® brand, which was launched in Japan in July 2024, and will be explored for use in Goldwin-operated brands after that.
Founded in 1966, The North Face is a key member of the US-listed VF Group, which has grown to become the No. 1 outdoor brand.The North Face has been using bio-based materials since 2017 (incomplete collation):
-PHA: In February 2024, The North Face announced a collaboration with scientists from the BOTTLE consortium to introduce PHA to the outdoor apparel industry. Over the next 12 months, BOTTLE will scale up production to produce several pounds of PHA fibers, which The North Face will test and evaluate for use in its product line.BOTTLE is a multi-organizational research consortium led by the U.S. Department of Energy.
-PLA: In 2023, The North Face announced PLA outdoor and sports apparel.
-Sorona: In 2017, The North Face announced a partnership with Sorona® fiber to jointly create shirts.
