PEAK- Circular Ready

Traditionally all outdoor garments are linear in their existence, with beginning and end points to them that are not linked. Linear manufacturing starts with the production of raw materials from non renewable, unsustainable sources. These materials are processed into technical components that are then manufactured into a finished garment. The garment is then purchased, (hopefully) thoroughly used, enjoyed and cared for until diminishing performance levels bring an end to its usefulness. At this point the garment is unfortunately, more often than not, discarded into landfill. 

Circular based manufacturing reduces the need for virgin (new) fossil fuel based raw materials and minimises the waste of resources. For circular manufacturing and recycling to be a reality, garments have to be conceived and designed differently. Circular products by design have to create the link between the end of a garment’s usable life and the start point of a brand new one. To be able to recycle garments successfully back into usable raw materials, circular products, their materials and features, have to (where possible) be produced from the same singular material. Furthermore, the design and construction needs to be taken into account to make deconstruction at the product’s end of life, a simple task.

Current products are complex in components and contain many different plastics / polymers.  Some components such as the textile fabric of a waterproof garment contain several different plastics such as nylon, polyurethane and polyester. 

Moving forward we need to construct garments using simple plastics that can be easily separated, recycled, and then ultimately made back into itself again….. A circular economy…. 

Our valued supplier Pertex has developed a single, polymer fabric called Revolve. All three layers within the fabric and their lamination adhesive is made from recycled polyethylene / polyester, making a Circular Ready garment a reality.

Our latest innovation is to design and construct garments with the goal of using one single polymer in their construction. For example if we choose to make a jacket from polyester ( polyethylene ), then all elements within the product, where possible, need to be of polyester / polyethylene composition. This applies not only to the main materials, but also the thread, velcro, seam seal tape, webbing, cord and plastic parts. 

For 2024 and the Paddlesports Show in Strasbourg we are excited to announce and launch the groundbreaking Paddlesport Vest PFD and Adventure Lite jacket to our line, born from our ever evolving *More Sustainable ethos. These items are **Circular Ready, we think, the first of their kind for the paddlesports market, as they move away from linear manufacturing, instead are ready to be part of a fully circular system. 

Adventure Lite Jacket 

High performance, lightweight and highly breathable touring / sea kayaking jacket. This groundbreaking piece of kit is made almost entirely of recycled polyethylene.  It is intended to be recycled at the end of life and its polyethylene content remade into textile yarn once again. This garment has been designed to be deconstructed. All non essential components such as rubber badges, cord ends and pocket hooks have been removed. 

Fabric: Pertex Revolve Mono Polymer fabric. 3 layer lightweight recycled polyester including the breathable membrane and tricot lining. High performance lightweight 20,000mm Waterproofing. 20,000g/24hr Breathability. PFC free water repellent finish.

Waist, neck and outer wrists: Bioprene. Made from bio sourced, not fossil oil and calcium carbonate from waste seafood shells. Lined with recycled nylon.

Inner Wrist seals: Evo Latex. Bespoke seals that scale in size with jackets.

Additional Components: Reflective water based screen printed logos. Polyester zip pullers made from the jackets fabric off cuts. Polyester hood drawcord with recycled polyethylene cord locks and simple tied knots instead of cord ends. Recycled polyester / polyethylene YKK zips with recyclable metal sliders.  Polyester thread. Polyester seam tape. Polyester Velcro.  

Paddlesport Vest PFD 

Performance cut pfd based around our popular Racer Pro / Marathon Racer models with a single large front pocket for a drinks bottle or snack pouch. Perfect for all active paddlesports including touring, racing and  paddleboarding. The flotation foam throughout the PFD is removable, to give the option of replacing it, reusing it again, and to make simple the deconstruction of the device for recycling at the end of its useable life. This groundbreaking piece of kit is made almost entirely of polyester and polyethylene.  It is intended to be recycled at the end of its life and the polyethylene content remade into textiles and foam once again. This garment has been designed to be deconstructed. All non essential components such as pocket clips, webbing end terminals and additional zip pullers have been removed. 

Fabric: 600D recycled ripstop polyester with no polyurethane coating. Overlocked and reinforced to provide increased strength and durability.

Foam: Polyethylene

Webbing: Polyester

Buckles: Acetal. Can be reused or recycled separately.

Additional Components: Reflective water based screen printed logos. Polyester zip pullers made from the pfds fabric off cuts. Recycled polyester / polyethylene YKK pocket zip with recyclable metal sliders.  Polyester thread. Polyester Velcro.

Both of these exciting new products can be returned to Peak Paddlesports at their end of life for recycling. We’ll separate the different components and send them to our recycling partners for processing. Sadly, the jacket’s latex seals currently cannot be recycled.

This new technology and manufacturing method is changing at a lightning pace. We are currently in close discussions with many textile recycling partners to find the way to fully close the circular loop. We will update our story as it evolves… 

*more sustainable – create less environmental impact than before.

** circular ready – create products that are ready for recycling back into raw materials at the end of their usable life.

https://peakuk.com/