As part of its ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability, Polartec, LLC announces that it has entered an agreement with Bluesign Technologies AG to evaluate and approve its manufacturing processes for environment, health and safety (EHS) issues.

The bluesign® screening process includes a detailed on-site evaluation of textile manufacturing sites according to the five principles of the bluesign standard including resource productivity, consumer safety, air emissions, water emissions, and occupational health and safety. Additionally, the bluesign process provides both resource and cost saving recommendations compared to “Best Available Technology.”

Andy Vecchione, president of Polartec, LLC states, “we are very pleased to begin the bluesign process. While we are confident that our state-of-the-industry facilities will meet or exceed bluesign standards, we look forward to its feedback and the opportunity to continually raise the bar. Third party certification and endorsement by bluesign is an increasingly important standard for both our customers and consumers worldwide.”

“It is our vision to assist textile manufactures to deliver high performance textiles to the market at low environmental impact, all while minimizing resource consumption,” says Peter Waeber, CEO of Bluesign Technologies AG. “Polartec already embodies this approach with safety and environmental standards, making us natural partners.”

The bluesign initiative, along with focused product development of recycled and renewable textiles, supports Polartec, LLC’s ongoing Eco-Engineering program to continually reduce the company’s environmental footprint. Polartec’s commitment to sustainability dates back to 1993 when it first offered recycled fabrics. In 2008, over 20 percent of Polartec’s fabrics will contain a minimum of 50 percent recycled raw material.

About Polartec LLC

Polartec, LLC is the developer, manufacturer, and marketer of Polartec® performance fabrics. Polartec® products range from lightweight wicking base layers to insulation to extreme weather protection and are utilized by the best clothing brands in the world. In addition, Polartec® fabrics are used extensively by all branches of the United States military including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Special Operations Forces.

About Bluesign Technologies AG

Bluesign Technologies AG was founded in 2000. Since then, the bluesign® standard has been adopted by various leading textile manufacturers, i.e. Schoeller Textil AG, Christian Eschler AG, Getzner Textil AG, Formosa Taffeta CO. Ltd., Everest Textile CO., Ltd. and others, and is supported by several key players of the chemical industry including Huntsman Textile Effects, Clariant International Ltd., Erba AG, Sanitized AG and Granger’s International Ltd.