SELECTION OF MATERIAL
How does Maloja select and determine what material to use?
Whenever we discover a new, sustainable material that we can integrate in our collection, we jump at the opportunity to add it. Approximately 70% of our functional materials are certified by bluesign®. Our desire is to increase this percentage steadily.
With our summer 24 collection, we also have bluesign® PRODUCTS in our programme. With bluesign® PRODUCT, not only the materials but also ingredients fulfil the strict bluesign® criteria.
ORGANIC COTTON
Cotton has always been a major focus of ours, especially in our streetwear collection. With just a few exceptions, over the last few years we’ve switched to organic cotton that’s grown free from chemical fertilisers or pesticides and with less water compared to traditional growing methods. So it feels better for you, for us, for everyone.
Plus, we’re working with Remei, a company based in Switzerland standing for some of the highest standards worldwide for organic fair-trade cotton. All bioRe products have a sewn-in QR code that consumers can use to follow the full journey of their piece of clothing from start to finish: from growing the cotton, through all stages of production, right up to the finished product. This ensures complete transparency of the full production and value-added chain.
CEMBRA® SHELL SERIE
Sustainable weather protection technologies
Introducing the cembra® shell series is a big step for us at Maloja. When developing our own weather protection technologies, the focus was clearly on sustainability in addition to maximum functionality. The new cembra® products are mainly made from recycled polyester and all treated with an environmentally friendly PFC-free water-repellent finish.
Of the four cembra® technologies RESIST, LIGHT, SHELTER and BREATHE, three are completely recyclable. The cembra® shell series is a milestone on the path to an increasingly sustainable future.
CAMBIUM UP
In our production facilities, cutting waste is inevitably generated. Up to 20% of textile material is lost during the cutting process and typically ends up in waste incineration.
For Maloja, the Italian recycling company Imbotex produces insulation material from these cutting scraps, which finds its way back into our products under the name Cambium UP. The necessary offcuts are collected at our own production facility in Bulgaria and at one of our cycling apparel production partners near Vicenza—less than 20 kilometers from Imbotex.
Cambium UP is made from 100% recycled polyester, is breathable, quick-drying, and offers excellent insulation properties.
HEMP
Hardly any other material has such a positive environmental impact while also having such great functional properties as hemp. One of the oldest usable crops, natural hemp is sweat and odour-resistant, regulates moisture, dries easily, cools in warm weather and is robust, abrasion-resistant and anti-bacterial.
What’s more, this multi-purpose plant doesn’t just grow quickly – it grows almost anywhere. It also needs less water and no pesticides to grow. In short, hemp is one of our favourite materials. That’s why we use it in our collections in a wide range of combinations with other materials.
MERINO
Everyone loves Merino, including us! This material has multiple functions in one: it warms when the weather gets colder and cools when the temperature rises. Merino manages this by being extremely breathable and able to absorb 30% of moisture without feeling wet to the touch. It’s also both anti-bacterial and odour-neutral.
We use different qualities of Merino or combine it with other materials to optimise functionality for specific requirements. In doing so, we pay attention to Merino sheep welfare – we only work with certified businesses that guarantee mulesing-free sheep farming.
POLYGIENE® - TECHNOLOGY
Wear more, wash less®
Polygiene Stays Fresh® Technology is a textile treatment that inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria. Clothing can be worn longer and requires fewer washes. We've been using Polygiene for a long time, mainly in our bike styles. Almost all products in the bike collection are treated with Polygiene, enabling active water saving while at the same time protecting high-quality clothing.
How does Polygiene work?
Polygiene BioStatic™ is based on natural silver salt-silver chloride, which occurs naturally in water and in the soil, is bluesign® and Oeko-tex® certified and ensures lasting freshness — whether during sports or in everyday life. Treated products can be recycled.
• Lasting freshness — Reliable freshness all day long or can be worn several times during sports, because Polygiene BioStatic™ inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria in the textile
• Long-lasting — the freshness effect of Polygiene lasts throughout the life of the product
• Skin-friendly — Does not affect the perspiration function or the natural bacterial flora of the skin
• Travel carefree — By wearing a piece of clothing more than once, less luggage is needed when travelling
THERMAL STRETCH ECO / BIKE STRETCH ECO
Functional, high-quality clothing made from recycled waste – it might sound like a joke at first, but it makes complete sense. Our Italian partner Miti has been fully dedicated to developing environmentally friendly materials. And for the first time ever, with Thermal Stretch ECO, they’ve created a textured stretch material made from 100% reused raw materials:
recycled nylon (83%) and recycled elastane (17%). This makes previously unusable waste from thread production – including carpets, packing materials and fishing nets, as well as pieces of clothing and fabric scraps – reusable. All raw materials are exclusively sourced and prepared in Europe and processed into new material in Italy. Certified by bluesign, the highest textile standard for environmental, work and consumer protection worldwide.
DOWN
Down feathers are 100% natural, insulate heat and are literally “feather-light”. Since 2019, we’ve exclusively been using down feathers from Re:Down so our jackets can also be worn guilt-free. Re:Down is the clever, sustainable idea of collecting old pillows, duvets and sleeping bags, cleaning their contents and grading the raw material. This gives high-quality down and feathers a new lease of life to provide you with warmth, for example, as a filling in our jackets. With that, the production cycle is complete and everything circles back round. All the down feathers we use are certified in accordance with the Global Recycle Standard.
For more information visit: https://en.re-down.com
PRIMALOFT®-BIO™
With PrimaLoft® Bio™, PrimaLoft® offers a new approach to sustainability. The composition of the fibers makes it easier for naturally occurring microorganisms to break it down into natural substances more quickly, which reduces the fate of microplastics in the environment. The material is extremely robust and long-lasting to keep you feeling great for as long as possible.
For more information visit: www.primaloft.com
RECYCLED WOOL
For our recycled wool materials, we work with an Italian partner who puts woolen items from Red Cross clothing containers back into the recycling process. The clothing items are sorted by colour, shredded and respun into new wool.
No new dying process takes place, so while the choice of colours is somewhat limited, it does save a large amount of water and chemicals.
WATERPROOFING
We’ve got good news regarding impregnation, also known as DWR (durable water-repellent) coating or waterproofing: since the end of 2018, all watertight and waterproof materials developed by us in collaboration with our suppliers are fully PFC-free and coated with an ECO finish. This is an important step for us that we’ve worked hard to achieve so that we can meet our product quality requirements.
For more information visit www.gore-tex.de
