impact EN – Allied Feather + Down

Dedicated To The Environment

alliedfeather — Wed, 14 Apr 2021 18:37:23 +0000

Down is amongst the most sustainable ingredients in the textile industry from a raw material perspective. But how it is processed can have a tremendous impact on not only the quality of the insulation, but that insulation’s impact on the environment. A lot of time and money can be saved by using harsh chemicals and bleach to produce a “clean” down, but at what cost? ALLIED differentiates itself from those cheaper down supply chains by making sure that every detergent used is not only safe for the environment, but also palm oil free.

ALLIED also has a robust water recycling and treatment system to ensure that all water used in the processing of the down can be reused and done so that also reduces the amount of detergent needed in a typical processing.

ALLIED was the first down supplier to achieve bluesign® system partner status and continues to work with bluesign® in addition to Oeko-Tex so all down from ALLIED is both an official bluesign® approved and Oeko-Tex 100 certified ingredient.

ALLIED also works with the HIGG index and closely monitors all carbon emissions in all facilities. Our annual sustainability report can be accessed at the top of the page.

As stewards, ALLIED has partnered with Protect Our Winters and other important organizations to help change the way we, as a community at large, change the way we think about the things we use and how we impact the planet looking towards a cleaner, brighter future.

Impacts of Down vs Synthetic

admin — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 22:45:05 +0000

In 2019, a full scale Life Cycle Assessment was completed to understand the true impacts of down insulation versus the alternatives.

The LCA found that down, over ALL categories, has between 85% – 97% lower environmental impact.

Recycled polyester insulation has 18 times higher climate change impact than down.

This study is also simply cradle to gate. It does not take into account the longevity of down products. Synthetic insulations have to rely on a mechanical crimping of the fibers to produce loft and warmth. As the natural shape of the fibers are straight, this mechanical crimping starts to straighten quite quickly and loss of loft is significant over a single season or two. Down, due the natural fibers’ ability to create loft will take decades to lose the same amount of loft and warmth. When considering the entire life of the product, the impact difference will grow even further.

Down also has a significantly higher warmth to weight ratio, meaning for a given warmth, much less material can be used – again saving resources that are not accounted for in this study.

Learn more about the LCA here.

ALLIED HIGG Index Facility Environmental Module (FEM)

alliedfeather — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 22:45:14 +0000

[ HIGG Index ]

ALLIED is committed to working with the HIGG index to increase our environmental performance and offer complete transparency to our partners and those consumers using ALLIED down filled products.

bluesign®

admin — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 20:56:21 +0000

[ bluesign ]

ALLIED is proud to have been the first down processor to achieve bluesign® system partner status and we continue to work with bluesign® to this day.

All ALLIED products are also bluesign® approved ingredients.

Learn more about bluesign® here

DOWNLOADS

01	ALLIED Feather + Down USA bluesign® Scope Certificate [PDF]
02	ALLIED Feather + Down CN bluesign® Scope Certificate [PDF]

OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100

alliedfeather — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 20:56:01 +0000

Our OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 certified down has been independently tested for harmful substances according to extensive scientific criteria that go beyond global regulations.

Learn more about OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certification here.

DOWNLOADS

01	ALLIED Feather + Down OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certificate [pdf]