---
title: About
date: 2018-11-13T10:38:00-08:00
author: Admin Istrator
canonical_url: "https://www.polartec.com/about"
section: Interior Pages
---
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   Contact Us.   

 # Beyond.  
It’s Our Truth.

 

 

 ### We make fabrics to enhance the lives of those who wear us   
and to reduce our impact on the planet we live on.

 

 

 ##  Planet. 

We are a brand on a journey to being true leaders in sustainability. From the first ever fleece made with recycled content in 1993, to the 2 billion plastic bottles recycled into fiber to make our fabrics, we are always striving to make better products that benefit our planet. Our planet’s longevity is our responsibility, its protection, our reality. We are driven to create products that leave a legacy, without leaving a trace.

 ![Planet.]() 

 

 

##  People. 

It is all that we do, it is all that you do. From our designers, our engineers and our makers experience that’s taped into every seam, a knowledge fused through fabric, to our wearers, empowered to concentrate on their unique moments in life, without distractions. Our people create a longevity that spans generations, never settling, relentlessly innovating and taking our brand beyond.

 ![People.]() 

 

 

##  Product. 

It’s the science, innovation and experience that gives credibility found in every layer. Fabrics stitched, sewed, knitted, dyed and sheared with care and precision every time. Each technology pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, to protect our planet and our people. Methods formed through history, fabrics made to always endure the test of time.

 ![Product.]() 

 

 

 

 ### For over 100 years Malden Mills has   
produced innovative premium textiles,   
but our real story begins with the   
invention of the synthetic fleece.

 

### 1981

### 1985

### 1986

### 1988

### 1991

### 1993

### 1998

### 1999

### 2000

### 2002

### 2007

### 2009

### 2011

### 2012

### 2015

### 2018

### 2022

### 2023

### 2024

 

 

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

  ![The synthetic fleece is born. desktop]() 1981####  The synthetic fleece is born. 

 

 

 ![The synthetic fleece is born. mobile]() 

 ![Patagonia Synchilla® 
Snap-T® Pullover makes debut. desktop]() 1985####  Patagonia Synchilla® <br /> Snap-T® Pullover makes debut. 

This changed how people dressed to go outside, forever.

 

 

 ![Patagonia Synchilla® 
Snap-T® Pullover makes debut. mobile]() 

 ![Fleece goes mainstream. desktop]() 1986####  Fleece goes mainstream. 

European ski slopes and hikes got trendy   
with Polarfleece bright fleece prints.

 

 

 ![Fleece goes mainstream. mobile]() 

 ![TNF denali jacket. desktop]() 1988####  TNF denali jacket. 

A fleece jacket that became an iconic piece for   
both on the mountain and on university campuses.

 

 

 ![TNF denali jacket. mobile]() 

 ![The Polartec® brand is born. desktop]() 1991####  The Polartec® brand is born. 

 

 

 ![The Polartec® brand is born. mobile]() 

 ![Another first. desktop]() 1993####  Another first. 

The first fleece made with recycled content is launched   
in the color of the discarded product, ‘Soda-Bottle Green’.

 

 

 ![Another first. mobile]() 

 ![The soft-shell revolution. desktop]() 1998####  The soft-shell revolution. 

With the launch of Power Shield™, Polartec® invented  
 a game changing apparel category: soft-shell.

 

 

 ![The soft-shell revolution. mobile]() 

 ![Closing 20th century in style. desktop]() 1999####  Closing 20th century in style. 

Time magazine named the Polartec® fleece one   
of the most important inventions of the 20th century.

 

 

 ![Closing 20th century in style. mobile]() 

 ![Keeping soldiers safe. desktop]() 2000####  Keeping soldiers safe. 

We further developed our products for the   
United States Military by making our fleece Flame Resistant.

 

 

 ![Keeping soldiers safe. mobile]() 

 ![The 2.0 Fleece: Thermal ProTM. desktop]() 2002####  The 2.0 Fleece: Thermal ProTM. 

Advanced fleece fashion with new knit structures   
for the most diverse style options.

 

 

 ![The 2.0 Fleece: Thermal ProTM. mobile]() 

 ![Innovation continues. desktop]() 2007####  Innovation continues. 

Polartec® introduced fabrics made from recycled content across   
the entire product line after massive development initiative with Unifi.

 

 

 ![Innovation continues. mobile]() 

 ![Polartec® Power ShieldTM Pro. desktop]() 2009####  Polartec® Power ShieldTM Pro. 

An unprecedented combo of weather protection and breathability.

 

 

 ![Polartec® Power ShieldTM Pro. mobile]() 

 ![NeoshellTM breaks the waterproof mold. desktop]() 2011####  NeoshellTM breaks the waterproof mold. 

Introduced what remains to be the most   
breathable waterproof fabric on the market yet.

 

 

 ![NeoshellTM breaks the waterproof mold. mobile]() 

 ![Introducing Polartec AlphaTM. The first active insulation. desktop]() 2012####  Introducing Polartec AlphaTM. The first active insulation. 

A groundbreaking technology originally   
developed for the U.S. Special Forces.

 

 

 ![Introducing Polartec AlphaTM. The first active insulation. mobile]() 

 ![1 billion bottles. desktop]() 2015####  1 billion bottles. 

Polartec® upcycled its billionth post-consumer plastic bottle into fabric   
(in 2021, the brand recycled over 2 billion bottles).

 

 

 ![1 billion bottles. mobile]() 

 ![Warm More. Shed Less. desktop]() 2018####  Warm More. Shed Less. 

Polartec® launched Polartec Power Air™, the first   
fabric engineered to minimize microfiber shedding.

 

 

 ![Warm More. Shed Less. mobile]() 

 ![Reducing our impact. desktop]() 2022####  Reducing our impact. 

We further innovated our shed less fabric technology,   
achieving up to 85% less fiber fragments shed on average   
during home laundering\*. We also helped lead industry   
standards elsewhere achieving non-PFAs materials   
in all products, before any mandates.

\*According to ATCC 212 2021, when compared to the base line fabric.

 

 

 ![Reducing our impact. mobile]() 

 ![Polartec® Goes Beyond. desktop]() 2023####  Polartec® Goes Beyond. 

We recognize that beyond is the benchmark in everything we do   
as we set out on our renewed journey to lead and layer the future.

 

 

 ![Polartec® Goes Beyond. mobile]() 

 ![Pushing boundaries, again. desktop]() 2024####  Pushing boundaries, again. 

The Power Shield™ family is revamped with the entrance of Power Shield™ RPM,   
enabling circularity with 100% recyclable materials, and Power Shield™ Pro,   
partially plant-based and responsibly made.

 

 

 ![Pushing boundaries, again. mobile]() 

 

 

   

##  Manufacturing   
Beyond. 

The science and knowledge fused through our fabrics is what gives complete trust and authenticity in all our products. Fabrics formed in Hudson, New Hampshire, and finished at Polartec Tennessee Manufacturing (PTM) in Cleveland, we continue the tradition of relentlessly innovating the best fabrics, a tradition born from our origins at Malden Mills over a century ago. The original Polar Fleece changed the industry, and our inherent bravery and expertise continues to change it again, and again. Always setting the standards, always going beyond.

 

  

  

 

 

## Go Beyond, Today.

From industry insider access, to community updates, be the first to know what we’re doing next.

 

 

 

 

 

     

 

   

 

 ## Welcome in.

### From Industry insider access to community updates, stay in the loop with everything we do.

 

 

 

 

  

 ### Polartec® Accessibility Feedback.

 We are committed to making our website accessible to all users.   
 Please provide feedback on how we can improve.

  

 

 

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