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As a worldwide operating corporation, W. L. Gore & Associates takes sustainability and conservation very seriously. The department “Gore Fabrics” has been setting high standards for an eco-friendly production for many years now. Consumer protection is plays an important role, which is proven by many international certificates.
Environmental behavior and a responsible management of employees are core parts of Gore’s business philosophy. Founder Wilbert L. Gore and his wife Vieve Gore provided the base for this way of thinking and acting, as Bernhard Kiehl (Head of the sustainability program at W.L. Gore & Associates) explains:
“Fairness and Responsibility for the environment connected with the production of our goods which offers first-class protection, is an important part of our business culture. This is the legacy of our founder Bill and Vieve Gore and we are proud of continuing this tradition.”
Wilbert L. Gore and his wife Genevieve Gore;
(Source: www.gore-tex.de-de/erlebnis/markenhistorie)
IMPROVING GORE’S ECOBALANCE
The corperation promises an environmentaly responsible behavior as well as a socially acceptable production and therefore can prove an exemplary ecobalance. Gore consistently aimes to minimize its impact on nature along the the whole life cycle of its products. To be able to sucessfully go on with this kind of procution, the brand founded the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) in 1992. This scientific study enables the brand to fully understand the environmental influence of its GORE-TEX® products and how to react positively to this development. Even at the very beginning of converting the row materials, aspects like water pollution, energy consumption and air pollution because of the CO2-output are being examined.
Due to the LCA, Gore Fabrics has messured the carbon dioxide output during each production stage of an average GORE-TEX® outdoor jacket in 2013. The result showed that 65 % of the entire CO2 output are being released at the beginning of the production. In contrast, less than one percent of waste materials are being generated within the very first stages of the production. That means, the less jackets are being produced by Gore, the minor is the environmental impact. That’s why the brand is focused on a high quality and expects a long lifespan of its GORE-TEX® products.
But the LCA is not the only indicator of Gore’s representable ecobalance. Numerous certificates prove the high significance of Gore’s product stewardship. To name only a few, all GORE-TEX® products comply with the bluesign® standard, a very high and challenging environment- and safety check within the textile industry. Since 1996 all products are certified according to the OEKO-Tex® Standard 100.
This safety-standard requires, that all fabrics are contaminant-free and environmentally harmless.
PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY-CHECK
The W.L. Gore & Associates corporation gives all its clients one promise: “Guaranteed to keep you dry“, which stands for all GORE-TEX® products. To be able to keep this promise of long duration, quality- and performance testing forms the basis of all goods. In cooperation with all licensed partners who process with the GORE materials, each fabric and product is being carefully examined. Not only the end-product is being tested but also every single component, like textiles, insulation-layers, membranes or linings.
Those intense quality-checks are carried out in special laboratories by Gore. Certain measuring instruments, centrifuges, a rain room or a walking simulator are being applied to keep the high quality standard alive. The Cold Flex Test, the Comfort Test or the Wicking Test are only a few examples.
If the product has passed the laboratoy testings, it has to prove its functionality in field tests. By wearing the jacket, pant or other clothing under real conditions, clients have to evaluate the comfort and functionality of the GORE-TEX® product. Not until those tests are passed, the product is released for the big sports industry. Than it’s the time to tread its path as loyal outdoor companion.
Here you can catch a glimpse of a Gore testing laboratory:
You want to know more about GORE-TEX® Products and its technology? Get more information here:
How does the GORE-TEX® membrane work?
GORE-TEX® Active: The breathing shell
GORE-TEX® Pro: The high-protective shell
GORE-TEX® Wash & Care instruction
Fotocredit: © www.gore-tex.com