GORE AND BIONIC®

GORE AND BIONIC® YARN COLLABORATE ON RECYCLED TEXTILE DEVELOPMENT AIMED AT STEMMING THE TIDE OF OCEAN-BOUND PLASTIC

COLLABORATION WILL DRIVE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH-PERFORMANCE TEXTILE MADE FROM TRACEABLE, RECYCLED PLASTIC.

NEWARK, Del. and NEW YORK, N.Y. (December 3, 2020) — W. L. Gore & Associates (GORE), a global material science company, and Bionic Yarn (BIONIC®), a mission-driven company focused on the up-cycling of ocean and ocean-bound plastic, announced today a collaboration to develop high-performance textiles made from recycled coastal and marine plastic. Gore recently made an equity investment in BIONIC® to help streamline its fiber supply chain and grow its Costa Rica operation responsible for the recovery, processing, and conversion of collected plastic debris into high-performance textiles and products.

This collaboration brings together BIONIC‘s traceable supply of recycled polymers with Gore’s deep understanding of material science and performance requirements across a range of applications and industries.

“Over the past decade, BIONIC has built an environmentally and socially impactful supply chain from coastline to end products,” said Ed Rubin, Gore Project Champion. “While our initial efforts will focus on the development of a fully-traceable supply chain for high-performance textiles made from plastics collected from coastal communities, we also see potential in incorporating BIONIC’s recycled polymers in other aspects of our diverse product portfolio.”

This relationship is an example of how Gore is working together with external partners to develop high-performing products that are environmentally responsible, drive positive change within the industries in which we operate, and have a positive impact on society.

“Gore is well known for developing innovative products that perform in the most demanding environments,” said Tyson Toussant, BIONIC’s co-founder. “We are excited to join forces with Gore to advance BIONIC’s capabilities for upcycled polymers into high-performance textiles and products that help stem the flow of single-use plastics into the world’s oceans.”

Gore has been working closely with Bionic over the past few years on product and infrastructure development. Gore and Bionic recently achieved an early milestone in the relationship with the recovery, processing, and shipment of approximately 10 tons of ocean and ocean-bound plastics for conversion into high-performance textiles and products. The ongoing relationship and equity investment from Gore will further enable Bionic to advance its mission and expand into other coastal communities.