Introducing: the ski jacket made of sugar!

One of the big battlegrounds between outdoor clothing manufacturers at the moment is who can be the most environmentally friendly. As such, the use of recycled or sustainable materials is becoming ever more popular with at least one manufacturer even suggesting people repair damaged gear rather than throw it away and buy new.

However, Bergans of Norway are claiming to have reached a milestone in the outdoor clothing business, by creating a technical ski jacket that uses ‘plant-based material’ – the waste by-product of sugar plant production in fact – in its shell material. The company’s new Eidfjor jacket (RRP £280) is the first to use the material, christened ‘Ecodear’ and developed in conjunction with a Japanese manufacturer, which is 30% plant based.

The jacket’s Ecodear outer layer is part of a triple-layer jacket build. The chemical structure of Ecodear is identical to the company’s regular shell material, Bergans says, so it’s just as functional as other ski-wear.

The new Eidfjor ski jacket (pictured below) is currently on sale

The waterproof, windproof but highly breathable Eidfjord jacket is available in sizes S to XXL and is on sale in Tiso and at other retailers.

The new jacket is part of Bergans’ overall focus on sustainability and reducing the industry’s dependency on non-sustainable materials – processes it has dubbed Expedition 2020. This has a target for 70% of their products to be made of sustainable raw materials and 75% of production methods to be sustainable too. This includes using renewable energy for power in its European bases, and using overland transportation by rail from Asia to Europe, rather than air, from its manufacturers to the high street.