Lorpen, a leading outdoor socks brand based in the Pyrenees, has taken another step-in terms of sustainability by boldly by using recycled materials in its new socks collection.

The Ternua Group company has replaced Coolmax polyester in its new spring summer 2022 models with Coolmax Ecomade, which is made from recycled PET bottles and provides the same long-lasting freshness expected from the Coolmax brand - Ecomade is made with 97% recycled materials to help the environment.

Another new material is EcoTherm fibre from Unifi, which is made with 50% Sorbtek polyester and 50% Repreve polyester, which is made from recycled from plastic bottles.

Other yarns that have been replaced in the new range are the standard nylon used to reinforce certain areas, and nylon blended with Lycra, which improves fit. These have been replaced with recycled nylon from discarded fishing nets.

The above-mentioned new yarns have been used in Lorpen’s T3 Light Hiker, T3 Light Hiker Shorty, T2 Light Hiker, T2 Hiking, T3 Trail Running, T3 Trail Running Padded, T3 Running Precision Fit and T3 Running Padded models. All have the word Eco added to their names to identify them. They all have the ‘Ecoengineered’ seal that Lorpen has created for styles with recycled yarns. The seal is printed on the packaging, which has also been updated to include information in a more visual way that is more understandable and lets the different product lines be classified by colour. 

This process of innovation is a response to the sustainable production business model followed by the brands that make up the Ternua Group. Lorpen’s factory has ISO 14001 environmental certification. The electricity the company uses comes from renewable sources (solar panels), and no chemicals are used in final products and no excess water is used in the company’s production processes.

Because of their mountain location in Etxalar in the Pyrenees, 95% of Lorpen’s employees come to work on foot or by bicycle. In addition, all the plastic bags used in the factory are made with recycled materials and all boxes used in shipping have 60% recycled materials.

In terms of the product, all materials used at Lorpen are knitted and dyed in Europe and have Oeko-Tex certification, which guarantees that no sock contains toxic substances.

In 2014, Lorpen became part of the Ternua Group, a company specializing in the design, production and distribution of technical sportswear and street wear, which also includes the Ternua, Astore and Loreak Mendian brands. 

www.lorpen.com