Gorewear Spinshift cycling jacket: PFC-free rain jacket with Gore-Tex ePE membrane

The role of Gore-Tex in the outdoor industry is hugely important. Hardly any manufacturer of performance-orientated clothing can ignore the "waterproof" property of Gore-Tex. When Gore-Tex first introduced its microporous, waterproof and breathable material in a rain jacket in 1976, it heralded a revolution. Since then, the name of the rain membrane has come to stand for an entire product category, much like Tempo for handkerchiefs.

With the introduction of the new ePE membrane, Gore-Tex is now entering completely new territory. It is the manufacturer's first membrane that is no longer made from PTFE, but from polyethylene. Gore wants to avoid environmentally harmful PFCs in the production of this membrane and achieve a reduced CO2 footprint.

Gorewear Spinshift with new ePE membrane

The Gorewear Spinshift is the first cycling jacket to be equipped with the new Gore-Tex ePE membrane. It promises protection, comfort and unrestricted freedom of movement, making it the ideal companion for daily rides. Although the Spinshift from Gorewear is categorised as a road bike jacket, it is also an excellent choice for sporty mountain bikers, racers and marathon riders. Thanks to its slim fit, which is based on innovative body mapping, it feels like a second skin. Reflective elements on the sleeves, back and chest ensure that cyclists are easily recognised by their surroundings. Accessories and the jacket itself can be conveniently stored in the spacious zip pocket.

Innovative design: Kinetic Garment Design

With the Kinetic Garment Design, Gorewear is moving away from traditional 2D garment design, which is mainly based on a static and upright position. Instead, the company has opted for this new approach, which uses 3D visualisation to take into account the cyclist's range of motion in order to achieve an optimum fit and freedom of movement. In this way, the Spinshift should adapt effortlessly to natural movements and feel like a second skin. To achieve this goal, each textile component has been cut and placed accordingly, while seams and weight have been reduced.

Gorewear Spinshift Gore-Tex cycling jacket - Details and price

• New Gore-Tex ePE membrane
• Durable waterproof and windproof protection
• Made from partially recycled material
• Wears like a second skin thanks to innovative body mapping
• Ergonomically shaped collar reduces material build-up
• Zip pocket serves as a pannier
• Glued seams
• Reflective details
• Price 249,95 Euro >> available here

The new ePE membrane: what exactly is it?

In recent years, Gore's dominant position has become increasingly shaky, especially since Greenpeace publicly criticised the use of hazardous chemicals in functional clothing with its "Detox my Fashion" campaign in 2011. The group of perfluorinated and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) played a decisive role in this. These chemicals are environmentally stable and can be detected even in the most remote areas of the world. They are also considered carcinogenic and hormonally active. For a long time, PFCs were used in the clothing industry to produce water-repellent coatings and to make laminated fabrics, such as those used in Gore-Tex, permanently waterproof and breathable. Nowadays, however, most manufacturers do not use PFCs in their DWR (Durable Water Repellent) coatings.

Turning point for Gore-Tex

In 2017, Gore also committed to phasing out the use of hazardous PFCs in its standard weathering laminates by the end of 2020 and in its speciality laminates by the end of 2023. In addition, the company has pledged to develop new, more environmentally friendly processes and to publicly document that no harmful PFCs are released into the environment throughout the entire life cycle of its products.

The new ePE membrane made of polyethylene

Gore-Tex was unable to fully fulfil its ambitious plans. The first products with the new ePE membrane were not announced until 2021. The final market launch was then delayed by a further three years. Nevertheless, Gore-Tex can claim a clear success with the new membrane. Unlike before, the new membrane is not made of PTFE, but of polyethylene, whereby the "e" in the name does not stand for ecological, but for expanded. Gore has thus found a way to process polyethylene in a similar way to PTFE. However, the manufacturer is giving up its status as an "inventor", as Gore is not the only manufacturer to produce polyethylene membranes in this way.

The end of PFC?

Compared to PTFE, the ePE membrane and the laminate's water-repellent finish are free from ecologically harmful PFCs. The new membrane is also designed to reduce the CO2 footprint. Thanks to its improved strength-to-weight ratio, it enables thinner and lighter fabrics with the same durability, which has a positive effect on resource efficiency. At the same time, the material remains permanently waterproof, windproof and breathable.

A small step towards sustainability

Greenpeace regards the development of the ePE membrane as a partial success and sees it as a realisation of Gore's promise. Nevertheless, the complete ban on PFCs does not yet seem to have been achieved. Gore merely emphasises the renunciation of "ecologically questionable PFCs" without turning away from PFCs in general. The issue is extremely complex, as the group of PFCs comprises more than 5000 chemical substances. They range from volatile compounds, which have been heavily criticised in recent years, to larger, stable molecules. Gore has identified certain PFCs that have been categorised as ecologically harmful. These PFCs are highly fluorinated, small enough to be bioavailable and have a long lifespan. Although not all environmentally hazardous PFCs are immediately harmful, they can spread through water in the environment and remain there for many generations.

PFC not yet completely banned

According to Gore, PTFE is not considered an ecologically harmful PFC. It is insoluble in water, highly stable and too large to be bioavailable, and does not degrade into other substances in nature. For the time being, the introduction of ePE will merely be an addition to Gore's product portfolio. PTFE membranes will continue to be used in products, partly because in some areas, such as workwear, no adequate replacement has yet been found. The future development of ePE depends heavily on how the material is accepted by consumers and the processing brands.