Sorona® introduces Preferred Mill Network to enhance supply chain visibility

Sorona® announces the Preferred Mill Network, a global network of mills supplying the full array of sustainable Sorona® sub-branded fabrics—Agile, Aura, Luxe, Profile, and Revive—one year following the launch of its Common Thread Fabric Certification Program. Any apparel company in need of samples and procurement of textiles that have been rigorously proven to fulfill the performance and sustainability requirements set by the Sorona® team can access the network of certified mills.

Alexa Raab, Global Brand & Communications Leader at DuPont, said that scale maximizes the effect of sustainable activities. They saw how much work there is to be done in all corners of the industry during the recent COP26 Climate Change Summit. With the Preferred Mill Network and the Common Thread Fabric Certification Program, they’re taking this step to demonstrate their commitment to transparency and easy access to sustainable materials across the value chain.

Sorona® has verified 350 fabric mills globally and shipped hangtags for over 43.7 million garments since the launch of the Common Thread Fabric Certification Program. Sorona® Agile, a comfort stretch fabric used to replace spandex in activewear and athleisure garments, is the most certified alternative among the certified fabrics.

Fabric mills must submit fabric swatches for testing to the DuPont (or DuPont approved) lab in order to be certified. Each sample is thoroughly examined for a minimum Sorona® content level, as well as quality and performance attributes.

Fabrics that have been certified include Sorona® Agile, Sorona® Aura, Sorona® Luxe, Sorona® Profile, and Sorona® Revive.

Sorona® is a high-performance fabric made with 37% plant-based ingredients that provide exceptional softness, stretch recovery, crease recovery, and UV and chlorine resistance. Sorona production requires 30-40% less energy and emits 56-63% less greenhouse gases than nylon production from harvest to production. In comparison to polyester, fabrics created from Sorona® polymer may be colored and heat-set at significantly lower temperatures, increasing energy efficiency farther down the value chain.

Samit Chevli, Principle Investigator at DuPont Biomaterials Product & Global Application Development, said that creating Bio-PDO is fundamentally the same as making beer. Bio-PDO is used to create Sorona® PTT polymer, which gives it certain unique features. The polymer has a zig-zag orientation at the molecular level, giving Sorona® polymer fibers a spring-like quality. This polyester has significantly more resilience (bounce) and stretch than other polyesters.

Sorona® is a significant component of clothes from some of the world’s most well-known and environmentally conscious brands.