Rabot Softshell Pants Women

Bergans products with water-repellent functionality have no intentionally added PFAS in the surface treatment. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large group of chemicals that have traditionally been widely used in water-repellent DWR (Durable Water Repellent) treatments. The treatment causes water and dirt to bead up and roll off the surface rather than penetrate the fabric. PFAS break down very slowly in the environment and are therefore often referred to as “forever chemicals”. They can accumulate over time, both in the environment and in living organisms, and several PFAS compounds have been shown to pose a risk to human health and the environment. Since 2016, Bergans has been actively working to phase out PFAS-containing substances from our products and replace them with PFAS-free treatments. All membranes we use are already PFAS-free. The water-repellent performance of the outer fabric will gradually diminish with use. As a result, the outer fabric may absorb more moisture, which can reduce breathability and comfort – even though the garment remains waterproof. To maintain the garment’s performance over time, we recommend regular washing and re-impregnate when needed. Read more about how to wash and re-impregnate your garment here.

Our aim is to steadily increase the use of recycled materials in all our products and we continuously work to utilize more and more new fabrics containing recycled raw materials. We currently use different types of recycled polyamide fabrics in products such as down garments as well as shell garments.

Polyamide, sometimes also referred to as Nylon, normally uses fossil resources for its production. By re-using existing material streams we can save fossil resources and reduce the energy demand and therefore climate emissions, as well as water used for production.

We know from studies we have conducted on our products together with an independent environmental consultancy that the use of recycled materials can significantly lower the environmental and climate impact of products compared to using new materials.

One example is a recycled polyamide fabric we use for shell garments, where CO2 emissions can be reduced by 76 %, while the amount of waste water is reduced by 84 % -compared to the production of new virgin polyamide. This can simply be done by re-using fabric waste from production. The result is a super high functional fabric, which delivers in terms of sustainability as well.

The most common raw material for the production of recycled polyamide is waste material from textile production (so-called pre-consumer material). The need for pure and clean raw material streams is the reason why used textiles most often are not recycled at the end of their life – yet. Too many different material inputs and a composition of different fiber and material types makes recycling difficult. This is one of the biggest challenges for textile industry in the future: To ensure that garments can be recycled to new textile fibers and that the loop for a real circular flow of textiles is closed.