YKK launches new water-repellant zipper designed to work in circular systems

The new DynaPelTM zipper uses GTT EMPEL® technology to eliminate the need for a PU film.

“DynaPel™ is a valuable addition to our growing collection of fasteners designed for circular systems,” said Terry Tsukumo, Vice President, Product Strategy Division, Global Sales Headquarters, YKK Corporation. “By employing EMPEL® technology, we can achieve the robust water protection expected from YKK® products while eliminating the challenges that PU poses to recycling systems.”

Conventional chemical and mechanical garment recycling systems cannot process the polyurethane film commonly used on water-repellent zippers, necessitating the removal of zippers from garments before recycling. This additional processing step often deters recyclers from accepting garments with PU zippers, resulting in unnecessary waste.

EMPEL® technology uses advanced green chemistry devoid of PFAS and a specialized manufacturing process that allows the chemistry to penetrate the yarn and encapsulate it with a water-repellent layer through molecular cross-linking. The molecular cross-linking creates an extremely durable layer that is highly resistant to abrasion and invisible to the eye.

“DynaPel™ represents a new generation of sustainable, high-performance water-repellant zippers,” stated Tsukumo. “It is the future of water protection for zippers.”

DynaPel™ zippers will be showcased at the upcoming Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City and the ISPO trade fair in Munich, Germany. Notably, DynaPel™ has been nominated for the Best New Product Award in the ISPO Textrends competition held at ISPO.

1 It is recommended to trial products in your targeted recycling system to fully assess its processability.