Allied Feather + Down, a manufacturer of traceable, high-performance down insulation for garments and bedding, is introducing RENU:750, billing it as the highest fill-power ever achieved in certified post-consumer recycled down.
Allied said until now, brands seeking to utilize recycled down had to settle for smaller clusters and lower fill power. The company’s customers have previously been able to rely on RENU:700 as the industry’s first Global Recycle Standard (GRS)-certified post-consumer recycled down, which guaranteed over 700 fill power, but with limitations on highly technical apparel.
The launch of RENU:750 represents an “ultra-high-performance material” and the pinnacle of Allied’s upcycling/recycling program for use in the most technical and luxury-driven products.
“Down is already an incredibly sustainable ingredient sourced as a by-product of the food industry, but with a recent push toward circularity, recycled down has seen a meteoric return,” Daniel Uretsky, president of Allied Feather + Down, said. “The problem with much of the recycled down in the market is that it is difficult to achieve over 700 fill power. With our initial RENU offering, we had to guarantee at least that, but with the quality we are known for and the level of 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.”
He said looking closely at new supply chains for post-consumer goods and by having full control of its processing, the company was able to alter the way this post-consumer material was processed and separated to create this insulation that tests over 750 fill power.
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In a limited launch, RENU:750 is coming to consumers for Fall with just two partner brands: Jones Snowboards in the U.S. and Axel Arigato from the U.K.
Allied said it initially developed the product with Jeremy Jones to find a solution that would fit the needs for extreme technical performance, the lowest impact on the planet and with animal welfare at the forefront.
“For our apparel line, we followed the same procedure as for the snowboards: we do ‘blind’ field testing,” Jones said. “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.
Jones Snowboards launched its inaugural apparel line in limited quantities this winter, with a full launch scheduled for Fall. “For a perfect insulator, the Allied recycled down came out as the most suitable material for the specific use of this piece of garment,” Jones said.
“Not only did the Allied RENU perform the best and have the highest fill power, but it also eliminates post-consumer down from going to the landfill,” he added. “Finding a material that perfectly balances performance, durability and sustainability is a real challenge, and that’s why we are so excited about the Re-Up puffy. It sets a new standard for sustainable technical performance thanks to Allied RENU:750.”