Cocona Labs, the makers of temperature-regulating 37.5 technology, announced this week that after nearly four years of testing, all 37.5 fibers and yarns will now incorporate an Enhanced Biodegradation (+EB) technology to accelerate the natural biodegradation of synthetic textiles in landfills.
Unlike standard synthetic materials that can take centuries to biodegrade, the +EB additive enables 37.5 synthetic fibers and yarns to biodegrade in just a fraction of that time without impacting durability or performance. Cocona Labs noted that textiles have long been known to be a major component of landfill waste and that synthetic fibers represent more than half of all global fiber production and show virtually no natural degradation in lab tests.
Cocona Labs’ decision to add the +EB additive to all the company’s 37.5 products, at no additional charge, was made to address this issue. Unlike typical synthetic fibers that can take many hundreds if not thousands of years to biodegrade, 37.5 Technology’s +EB additive rapidly accelerates synthetic fibers’ natural degradation after being deposited in a landfill.
Based on laboratory tests, 37.5 +EB fibers are projected to biodegrade 50 percent to 80 percent in 80 to 100 years, so that synthetic textile waste may be more quickly reclaimed.
“Incorporating +EB technology into all 37.5 products is an important step to bringing more sustainable practices to the textile industry,” Jeff Bowman, CEO of Cocona Labs, said. “Given the growing mass of synthetic materials sitting in landfills and the problems associated with it, we are excited to make this technology available at no additional charge. We believe deeply that manufacturers and suppliers need to be doing better, so we are.”
Cocona Labs, based in Boulder Colo., said it is committed to its vision that discarded textiles can be transformed from a problem to a solution and that +EB technology will be incorporated into all 37.5 yarns, fabrics and fills by July.
Materials that incorporate 37.5 technology are used in outdoor gear, sports apparel, designer clothing, workwear, police and military uniforms, footwear and sleep systems that are designed to manage and maintain a person’s optimal core temperature and relative humidity level.