Table of contents:
- Flowers instead of down - Pangaia
- Recycled plastic clothing is not enough
- Good things come to those who wait
2023 Author: Gabrielle Mercer | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 12:25
It's officially winter coat season! So that we stay warm, neither geese nor our environment should have to suffer anymore. The Pangaia brand shows the way!
It's officially buffer season. Half of Austria was already sunk into the snow chaos and the capital Vienna was meanwhile below freezing temperatures. However, if you want to shop sustainably, you quickly have a problem with down coats or puffer jackets: Traditional goose down is often associated with cruelty to animals (the birds are often plucked alive or killed solely for their feathers), and vegan filling alternatives are usually made from a petroleum-based plastic such as polyester that is not biodegradable and that releases microplastics. Neither option is ideal. So what can a conscious - and freezing - buyer do?
We asked ourselves that too and after a long research we came across a brand that fulfills all of our warmest dreams. PANGAIA. At the end of the year they launched a capsule collection of puffer jackets and coats filled with natural wildflowers. The ringing name? FLWRDWN. Speak floral down.
Flowers instead of down - Pangaia
It is a rare, sustainable solution that is not cruel to animals or the planet. The "flower down" is not only extremely warm, fluffy and hypoallergenic, but also 100 percent biodegradable. You can't quite believe that this alternative keeps you just as warm as your old down coat? Amanda Parks, co-developer of Pangaia, told Vogue: "The flower down has the same thermal properties as animal down and the same natural fluffiness, but comes from waste. And every time we find a high-tech, organic alternative to an animal Product, it is better than a synthetic one."
Recycled plastic clothing is not enough
What does she mean by that? For many companies, making clothes out of recycled plastic bottles is a nice shortcut to become more sustainable. It's good. This is how the plastic gets out of the oceans, but these textiles in turn give off microplastics when they are washed. The shell of the Pangaia puffer jackets is actually made from such a recycled polyester and nylon. Because jackets or shoes are rarely or never washed, this is a good alternative in this case.
Good things come to those who wait
The sustainable down made from petals took around ten years to develop and is still quite expensive. You have to pay a good 700 euros for the long coat, 500 for the jacket. An investment, no question about it, but not much more expensive than luxury down. In other words: we now have a choice. The choice is yours. Meet them wisely.