Last Friday, Patagonia and Gore-Tex invited people to an information event in Munich under the motto “Great Chemistry”. Purpose of the joint event: The presentation of the new PFC-free Gore-Tex ePE membrane and the opportunity for consumers, retailers and the press to ask questions.
The Gore-Tex ePE membrane is actually no longer brand new. It came onto the market for the first time last fall. At that time, however, only with a hand-picked group of brand partners from the areas of clothing, shoes and gloves. Including Patagonia. However, due to production reasons, the number of products that could be launched with the new ePE membrane last year was so small that most products could not be sold in stores at all, but only via the brands’ D2C channels. This fall it’s different: This time there will be more than 90 clothing, shoe and glove models from a total of 26 Gore-Tex partners, increasing the chance of actually seeing the new membrane in stores.
2025 Introduction of Gore-Tex Pro as an ePE membrane
And that is just the beginning. “We can already announce,” explains Lara Wittmann, Global Strategic Marketer at WL Gore & Associates, “that we will introduce our high-performance Gore-Tex Pro membrane as an ePE membrane in 2025.” The Windstopper membrane will then also be available as an ePE membrane. This makes it clear that Gore has done its homework and is finally offering a PFC-free alternative in the consumer products sector. Because this has been demanded by the outdoor and fashion industry for a long time. PFCs are considered harmful to the environment and health and do not break down in nature.
The previous Gore-Tex membrane consists of expanded, i.e. stretched, polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE for short. PFCs are needed as an aid to the production of PTFE. PFCs are also used to make textiles water-repellent, which is necessary so that laminated fabrics like those from Gore-Tex are permanently waterproof and breathable – i.e. vapor permeable.
The ePE membrane does not use PTFE and instead consists of expanded polyethylene. Gore, which produces all of its membranes itself, has found a way to process polyethylene in a similar way to PTFE, which is also expanded.
Both the ePE membrane and the water-repellent finish of the laminate are PFC-free. The membrane also reduces the carbon footprint of the material. The better strength-to-weight ratio allows the fabrics to become thinner and lighter. At the same time, less material is required, which has a positive effect on resource efficiency. Nevertheless, and this is crucial for Gore, ePE is just as durable as the old PTFE membrane. Anything else would make neither ecological nor economic sense for Gore.
Ten years of development
Matt Dwyer, who has been with Patagonia for ten years and is now Vice President Product Impact & Innovation (Sustainability), is a long-time materials specialist and moved from Gore to Patagonia in 2013 – also to promote the development of PFC-free membranes from this side. Dwyer: “For us at Patagonia it was about solving a problem that didn’t exist a few years ago because it was unknown.” “And we knew that we couldn’t do this alone, we needed brands that who work with us,” adds Wittmann.
Gore has been looking for an alternative to PTFE since 2012. At the beginning, around 50 materials were put to the test that could perhaps have what it takes to replace PTFE. It took a lot of testing and further research to come to a satisfactory result that also works on an industrial scale. Patagonia was also repeatedly involved, testing and evaluating prototypes with athletes. Wittmann: “There were a lot of ups and downs, the biggest challenge was bringing the material to the level that Gore-Tex stands for.” Ultimately, production also had to be changed, at least in the first pilot factories. This process took ten years.
The question remains why Patagonia, as a sustainable brand, did not switch to other providers of PFC-free membranes much earlier. They have also been around for a long time, but they are not as well known among consumers as the market leader Gore-Tex. “The great thing about the new membrane is not just that it is PFC-free. The great thing is that it still says Gore-Tex on it and the membrane delivers the performance you’re used to from Gore-Tex,” explains Dwyer. “The worst thing we could do would be to skimp on the functionality and longevity of our products.”
Other brands should take part
The ePE membrane not only takes time to develop, but also to bring to market. Only gradually will more Gore-Tex ePE products come onto the market and – if all goes well – one day completely replace the PTFE membrane. But that’s not just in the hands of Gore and Patagonia. Dwyer: “To make ePE big, we need large quantities and even more brands to follow suit.”