W. L. Gore & Associates said it could increase the percentage of bluesign approved laminates it offers for consumer garments from 20 percent that are available for Fall/Winter 2013 to 50 percent in the next three years depending on the success Gore’s textile suppliers have in achieving Bluesign certification for their products.
Bluesign approved fabrics the future of responsible textile manufacturing.
The bluesign certification indicates that Gore fabrics made with ePTFE membranes are made responsibly in respect to the environment and the safety of workers, while providing an even higher level of consumer safety.
Offering bluesign approved fabrics not only means that Gore has implemented the Bluesign standard in its own production process but also the suppliers of textiles to Gore have to deliver Bluesign certified products. “We are actively promoting this approach to our supply partners all over the world. I am very confident that more and more garment manufacturers will implement the Bluesign standard in their product portfolio as soon as our range of laminates with Bluesign certification increases”, states Bernhard Kiehl. “Our goal is to have the vast majority of the volume of our GORE-TEX and WINDSTOPPER laminates for consumer garments Bluesign approved within the next three years.”
The Bluesign standard unites three types of system partners: brands and retailers who deliver ready made goods, textile manufacturers who deliver fabrics and chemical suppliers who deliver chemical compounds. Gore as a supplier of functional textile laminates is a Bluesign manufacturing system partner. All of Gore’s global manufacturing sites for functional fabrics have passed the Bluesign screening and have implemented the Bluesign standard successfully. “Gore fabrics are safe and environmentally sound. Oeko-Tex Standard 100 has been a sign for clean clothes, now the Bluesign approved Gore fabrics offer the next level of environmentally sound products”, says Kiehl.
