Polartec® continues to advance the frontier of all-weather performance, driving a new era of breathable, sustainable and technically superior fabric innovation focused on end users.
For decades, weather protection in performance apparel meant one thing: sealing out the elements at any cost regardless of the end users’ comfort. But today’s outdoor athletes and conscious consumers demand more. More comfort, more breathability and far less environmental impact. Polartec is answering this call with a wave of next-generation technologies that prove performance and responsibility can thrive together.
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From alpine-ready Polartec® Power Shield™ Pro and circular-enabled Polartec® Power Shield™ RPM, to the groundbreaking new Polartec® AirCore™—the industry’s first truly air-permeable membrane—the future of weather protection is being rewritten in the Polartec innovation labs.
Polartec® Power Shield™ Pro—Protection, Evolved
Engineered for the world’s most demanding mountain athletes, Polartec® Power Shield™ Pro represents the pinnacle of shell technology, blurring the lines between hard and soft shells. Available in a 3-layer and 2-layer construction, both deliver exceptional waterproof and windproof performance with breathability levels exceeding 20,000 g/m²/24h, which is vital for endurance in extreme alpine conditions.
But performance isn’t the only measure of progress.
Made with plant-based, non-GMO Biolon™ nylon and fabric. Polartec® Power Shield™ Pro reduces carbon impact by 50 percent compared to fossil-based nylon while remaining completely PFAS-free. Quiet, extremely flexible and built to move with the athlete, it sets a new benchmark for sustainable high-performance outerwear without a plastic bag feel. Even better? It has been proven to be a circular enabled laminate fabric through thermo-chemical recycling back to pellet and yarns—which is a truly unique milestone for laminates.
Polartec® Power Shield™ RPM—Speed Meets Circularity
For athletes like cyclists, runners and fast hikers who live in motion, Polartec® Power Shield™ RPM delivers dynamic protection without compromise. Designed to cut overheating, the lighter, stretch-engineered fabric features a mono-material recycled polyester construction with a durable non-PFAS DWR finish, ensuring 10,000 mm hydrostatic head and 20,000 g/m²/24h breathability.
Its circular design enables easier end-of-life recycling—a rare accomplishment for performance membranes. The fabric is proven to be textile-to-textile (T2T) recyclable with recovery of +90 percent of monomer purity. The result? A weather-protective fabric that performs at speed, manages heat and moisture, and advances the path to circular performance apparel.
Polartec® AirCore™—The Breakthrough of Air Permeability
The newest leap forward in the Polartec weather protection platform, Polartec® AirCore™ marks a bona fide paradigm shift in terms of key groundbreaking innovations. Not only does Polartec® AirCore™ use proprietary hydrophobic polymer chemistry for the first time in the outdoor industry, but its new electro-spun nanofiber innovation technology also achieves true air permeability (0.4–1 CFM) while remaining wind- and water-resistant.
With a moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) above 30,000 g/m²/24h, it breathes actively, releasing heat and humidity rather than trapping them, thus creating a new standard of comfort for endurance athletes. Developed with Castelli for elite cycling performance, Polartec® AirCore™ is redefining how weather protection can move, breathe and perform.
By eliminating PFAS entirely and leveraging new hydrophobic polymer and spinning technologies, the durable and stretch-balanced design of Polartec® AirCore™ proves that breathable protection, extreme comfort and responsibility are not mutually exclusive.
Innovation with Purpose
Polartec’s journey to achieve full PFAS elimination by 2021 went beyond a simple milestone or a regulatory push. It was a statement of intent that challenged the industry’s status quo and proved that responsible chemistry can outperform legacy systems. Still today, Polartec continues to integrate recycled, plant-based and recyclable materials across its entire weather protection line; all while pushing the boundaries of breathability, durability, circularity and reducing carbon footprint for our customers.
This relentless innovation is guided by a single principle: to work with the body, not against it, while protecting the wearer and the world they explore. Because perspiration slows you down long before precipitation, outdoor gear needs to efficiently help the body stay warm, fresh and comfortable while eliminating moisture build-up. In other words, it needs to breathe.
Only Getting Started
For over three decades, Polartec has defined what performance fabrics can do. From inventing the first recycled fleece to pioneering active insulation, the company is now transforming weather protection from the inside out.
The next era of outdoor performance will be built around air-permeable, circular and athlete-driven innovation and Polartec is leading that charge. “The storm may be outside, but the revolution is already inside our materials,” stated the company. “Expect more. We’re only getting started.”
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