Down fill is the natural choice for a sustainable lifestyle. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on down tested the impact of down versus polyester in 5 environmental areas: human health, ecosystems, resources, cumulative energy demand and climate change. On a per ton basis, down has between 85% – 97% lower impacts than polyester in all the impact categories analyzed, and has 18 times less of an impact on climate change than polyester fill.
The Sustainability of the Down Industry
This LCA was written and researched by Long Trail Sustainability (LTS), an independent, third-party specializing in LCAs, and commissioned by International Down and Feather Bureau (IDFB) of which American Down and Feather Council (ADFC) is an active member. Testing the environmental footprint of down fill material compared to the synthetic alternative acknowledges the sustainable impact of the industry.
Click here to download a supporting infographic based on the report.