If you look around, it’s likely that you’ll see at least one place where hook and loop fasteners from the VELCRO® brand are making life simpler for you. In fact, there are probably several; the textile product is ubiquitous.

It’s in the computer pouch that keeps your laptop safely ensconced during a jarring rush hour commute. It holds your car’s headliner fabric in place to ensure a quieter ride, and it keeps your sofa cushions perfectly stuffed so you can read your favorite book in comfort. From the intimacy of a child’s diaper to the daring of an armored tank (yes, it’s in there, too), the VELCRO® brand is in our lives more than we know.

“It’s not something that people really think about,” said Fraser Cameron, CEO of Velcro Companies, which owns more than 400 active patents and numerous trademarks. “It’s so fit for purpose that it’s almost obvious, yet not.”

The job the VELCRO® brand is doing to keep our daily lives comfortable is equally matched by the work the company itself does to keep our environment safe.

Velcro Companies Grows Environmental Efforts in the U.S. and Abroad

“We’ve done a lot in sustainable manufacturing – long before it was fashionable,” Cameron said.

From low-energy lights and occupancy sensors to processes designed to redirect waste at manufacturing facilities, Velcro Companies holds industry firsts in its sustainable manufacturing processes: first in the industry to remove solvents from coating processes, and the first to substantially reduce the use of heavy metals in its manufacturing. Yet, this ISO 14001 certified company knew it could do more.

“Our philosophy is about making connections, and we knew that if we wanted to make amazing connections with customers, we’d have to first make connections with the community,” he said. “We thought, ‘Let’s take it one step further.’ ”

That step included broadening environmental responsibilities to incorporate social responsibilities, and the company has almost completed construction of the largest charitable school in Cambodia.

Environmental efforts in the U.S. and abroad continue to grow, as well. Velcro Companies now has on-site generators to capture fossil fuel burn-off, and 98 percent of the electrical and thermal power is self-generated. Additionally, it is installing solar panels for energy generation. It is a company that is well on its way to meeting a self-set sustainability goal of reducing its carbon footprint by 20 percent by 2025.

Velcro Companies has 2,500 employees, including about 600 in Manchester, New Hampshire, the site of its U.S. headquarters. It’s for the employees that many of these initiatives were founded.

“Surveys tell us sustainability is crucial to employee satisfaction,” said Cameron, who describes employees as high-tenure, including some who stay with the company 40 or 50 years. “Many of our employees spend a lifetime making our product. We want to ensure the product’s attributes, and the way the product is made, make them proud.”

Auburn Manufacturing, Inc., Takes Sustainability Full-Circle

Kathie Leonard knows something of company pride. She is the owner and president of Auburn Manufacturing, Inc., in Mechanic Falls, Maine, just over 100 miles from Velcro Companies’ New Hampshire facility.

“We’ve been making textiles for 36 years, and people can’t believe we’re in the business we’re in and live happily in Maine,” Leonard said of the state that she fell in love with and never left after what was supposed to be a short visit in the 1970s. “But we’re good corporate citizens. We have to be. What you do – good or bad – follows you with only 1.2 million people in the state.”

Auburn is a manufacturer of high-performance coated textiles and composite fabrics for extreme temperature applications and end-use products including welding blankets, curtains and pads. Its manufacturing is extremely efficient: the use of water-based materials for coatings offers less volatility and very little waste; and, instead of sending waste fabrics to landfills, Auburn donates the remnants to welding schools for their use as protective fabrics.

Auburn’s sustainability story goes full-circle with innovative product development that has helped the company’s customers in their own sustainability efforts.

Many of Auburn’s products go into insulation applications as components to other products, such as custom-made, removable insulation covers for heavy equipment in mechanical rooms. The insulation protects odd-shaped equipment that pipe insulation can’t cover; however, the unusual shapes and sizes needed for some areas require handcraftsmanship that is expensive and sometimes cost-prohibitive for institutions such as hospitals, colleges and government facilities.

Leonard describes a typical mechanical room in the basement of a building on a college campus.

“The pipes are covered, but the components are not,” she said. “You’re losing heat in all those places where the pipes connect, and it’s rising into the classrooms and libraries from the rooms below it. It’s like insulating your attic, but leaving your front door wide open.”

As a result, greenhouse gas emissions – and energy costs – rise.

“Our silicone-coated fabrics are generally used on the outside of those custom products,” Leonard said. “We thought, ‘Why don’t we help these folks make the component covers more quickly and inexpensively so they can save energy?’ ”

Auburn Manufacturing created a kit that features the company’s coated fabrics in a composite that is easy to customize – like contact paper with pre-measured squares that can be cut to size, she says. Auburn’s kit also includes hook-and-loop fasteners.

“We’ve provided an easy, cost-effective way for facilities to cover those components, and they’re reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by up to 8 percent,” she said. “It’s a big movement in a lot of these institutions, for the retrofit market and new construction.”

Auburn also created a similar kit with a water vapor barrier for chilled water systems; it keeps the cold in and prevents corrosion of the pipe.

“Sustainability is a way for the textile industry to show off what it knows,” Leonard said. “There’s a lot of knowledge and a lot of technology incorporated into textiles.”

Fraser Cameron of Velcro Companies echoes the sentiment.

“What you can do with a textile product is quite extraordinary,” he said. “At the core, our goal is to go beyond what people might possibly expect. We have a story of undiscovered heroes in our industry.”

Resiliency, ingenuity and trust: these are words that describe the long-standing, symbiotic relationship between the American textile industry and the U.S. armed forces.

In 2014, the U.S. military paid the textile industry $1.5 billion for 8,000-plus textile items. During more active engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan, spending increased to more than $2.2 billion. Textile companies across the country deliver a range of products from ballistic fabric body armor material to lightweight camouflage systems for tents, tanks and military structures.

“The industry is constantly working to strike a balance between what’s economical and what’s the best, safest product,” said Mia Hill, industrial business manager at Glen Raven. “Military products are far from an ordinary piece of fabric. They’re a protective system that has to be ready for any situation a soldier may face.”

Greenwood Mills, which recently celebrated 126 years of business, supplies fabrics to the U.S. military, protective clothing and specialty industrial markets. The brand strives to produce materials that protect soldiers from biological and chemical agents, as well as extreme weather.

“Investing in research and technology is imperative. R&D makes it possible for us to bring new, innovative, smart textiles to the ever-changing needs of the soldier,” said Jay Self, president of Greenwood Mills. “During the First Gulf War, soldiers found that sand cut through 100 percent cotton material; so, we devised a more durable nylon cotton blend that can withstand desert environments. The material is still used today.”

Additionally, the textile industry is evolving to meet military weight requests. Producers are cognizant of the many items a soldier has to carry in the battlefield – backpack, weapons system, bulletproof vest, helmet and more – and are working with top military researchers to create lighter-weight products that don’t compromise on integrity.

“More efficient equipment allows us as soldiers to focus not on ourselves, but rather the most important part of our work, the mission at hand,” said Philip Tonseth, West Point graduate and second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. “The Armed Forces operate in a multi-threat world, and any advantage that our equipment can provide is not only appreciated by the soldier, but is also necessary for success.”

Companies like Greenwood Mills and Glen Raven are doing just that – protecting committed soldiers from all kinds of threats. Greenwood Mills specifically engineers material for each branch of the military. For example, Marine uniforms are treated with insect repellent, and flame-resistant uniforms protect those facing the risk of IEDs. Glen Raven produces an ultra-lightweight camouflage system (ULCANS) that not only hides military structures from the naked eye, but also deflects plane radar systems.

“An immense amount of passion and ingenuity are poured into each and every military textile creation. The immediate post-9/11 years are a perfect example; during that time, textile workers labored 13 of every 14 days to ensure enough military fabric was available,” said Self. “The textile community expresses its admiration and support through production – it’s why we work tirelessly to provide our soldiers with the safest, most reliable, most advanced textiles on the market.”

Workers shouldn’t have to live in fear of workplace safety hazards. Safety concerns – for example, the potential of an arc flash or flash fire – can be both distracting and off-putting, leaving workers focused more on the potential for disaster than the work at hand. Enter textile industry innovators.

“Americans couldn’t perform in their daily lives without the use of innovative, special-use textiles,” said Rich Lippert, director of business development, protective market at Glen Raven. “As an industry, we look for opportunities to produce items that push the current level of technology, giving industrial workers an end product that is functional, safe and comfortable.”

Prior to 1973, workers in the utilities, oil and gas, and manufacturing industries typically wore cotton or polycotton uniforms, leaving them vulnerable to hazards like energized electrical equipment, combustible dust and active hydrocarbon zones. Once flame-resistant (FR) garments entered the picture, and were later required as personal protection equipment (PPE), worker safety was dramatically improved.

“When FR garments were initially introduced, arc flash-rated workwear provided minimum level protection and was not comfortable or durable,” said Lippert. “Now, the industry is able to provide superior protection with lighter-weight, longer-lasting materials that can withstand a 10-12 hour workday. The apparel is comfortable, breathable and abrasion resistant.”

One such product is Glen Raven’s GlenGuard FR 5.3 oz., a lightweight alternative to bulky PPE. GlenGuard is made with solution-dyed meta-aramid fibers that are fade-resistant and can withstand multiple runs through an industrial washing machine. This innovative solution is the foundation of FR apparel by Workrite Uniform Co., a subsidiary of the leading workwear provider Williamson-Dickie.

“In addition to durability and practicality, workers asked for more comfortable, transitional clothing – adaptable apparel that makes working in high temperatures and in a variety of settings easier,” said Lippert. “We understand those end user requirements, and we’ve produced something that’s indistinguishable from what people wear everyday. The clothing feels the same as what they would wear to watch a football game or play golf.”

In spring 2015, workers in Eagle Ford Shale, Texas, tested GlenGuard uniforms during a rig move. The apparel’s protection, flexibility and breathability helped them set up oil platforms and move enormous cranes across numerous platforms in 85-degree heat.

Lippert believes GlenGuard is only the beginning. Through innovative research and collaboration with firms like Workrite Uniform Co., Glen Raven hopes to push the envelope, in turn creating a ripple effect throughout the industry.

“At the end of the day, creating products that ensure the safety of hardworking Americans is what it’s all about,” Lippert said. “If we can create a product that better protects our friends, family and neighbors from potential workplace disasters, we’re going to do it.”

Whether climbing Mount Everest or scaling a rock wall at the local gym, running a marathon or chasing a toddler on the playground, skiing in the Swiss Alps or building an imaginary fortress out of freshly fallen snow, consumers expect their clothing to offer more than just a protective barrier against the elements. They expect performance.

Modern performance textiles have changed the way people interact with the outdoors, enabling them to scale the tallest mountains, run long distances in all seasons and even circumnavigate the world on a bicycle. But even for those with less lofty athletic ambitions, performance wear has become the new t-shirt and jeans. Sales of athletic apparel continue to grow, driven by cultural factors including a focus on fitness and active lifestyles, a growing interest in sports and a preference for clothing that is high performance yet also comfortable and fashionable.

“Today’s consumers expect so much from the products they buy,” said Gary Smith, CEO of Polartec®, a premium producer of innovative textile solutions that eventually find a home in waterproof running shoes, moisture-wicking base layers and warm, breathable jackets that allow freedom of movement. “Achieving versatility in textiles is a relentless pursuit, but that’s what drives us to keep innovating.”

Polartec prides itself on solving “problems you don’t even know you have” through innovative textile development. Throughout the company’s history – from its beginnings as a knitter of wool fabrics for the United States military, to its current position as a leading producer of performance wear textiles – Polartec has been a problem-solver, an innovator and an inventor of textile technology that has literally changed the world.

In the late 1970s, the founder of Patagonia approached Polartec’s predecessor, Malden Mills, to help refine Patagonia’s synthetic alpine sweater. Though lofty, lightweight and quick-drying, the sweater was also scratchy, itchy and uncomfortable. The two companies collaborated and the resulting invention – synthetic fleece, also known as “polar fleece” – was named one of Time magazine’s top 100 inventions of the 20^th century, right between the zipper and sliced bread.

“The textile industry is a smart industry. We have scientists, engineers, chemists, knit technicians and many others who are constantly pushing the limits of fiber and textile technology to solve a whole range of problems,” said Smith. “If we couldn’t wear clothes, everyone who lives in a cold climate would have to migrate south every winter. At Polartec, we are constantly working to create the most innovative, adaptable and versatile textiles that meet the needs of our multitasking, jet-setting culture.”

To innovate is to create something new, and the development of new technologies is where Polartec thrives. One of the company’s latest innovations is a product called Polartec Alpha®. Originally developed for the United States Special Forces as an advanced insulating material for combat uniforms, the fabric uses technology that regulates body temperatures during both dynamic and static activities, eliminating the need to shed or add layers while on the move.

“With Polartec Alpha, we invented a whole new category of performance wear that we call ‘active insulation,’” said Smith. “Historically, insulation was always viewed as a static product. It was great for watching a football game or standing in line for the ski lift – not aerobic activity. This technology is being used in garments designed for start-stop activities like running and cycling, where you need a range of comfort levels.”

Innovation in apparel is inextricably linked to the textile itself. But prior to the 1970s, the performance wear category had little to offer. Polartec’s innovations in waterproof, breathable, durable, moisture-wicking, active stretch and insulating textiles led to incredible growth of industries and brands founded on performance wear technology.

“We often take it for granted that what we are wearing is technology,” said Smith. “Ninety percent of the value of a garment is embedded in the textile itself. You can’t take a bad textile and make a great garment.”

That’s why the world’s leading brands such as Nike, Patagonia, The North Face, Adidas and many more, turn to Polartec fabric technologies to improve the performance of their garments. And the future of the performance textiles industry is rosy. Millennials – the largest demographic – are driving steady growth in the athletic apparel industry.

“We are always trying to find ways to bring more benefits to the consumer through our innovations, but every time we think we’ve done something great, we realize there’s so much further to go,” Smith said. “As long as we have basic human needs to stay warm and dry, we will have to keep innovating.”