What is water-based PU?

February 2024:

Wheat now offers children's rainwear produced without oil and solvents. The conventional PU (polyurethane) coating used to make rainwear waterproof requires oil and releases so-called volatile organic compounds (VOC) during the production process. VOCs pollute the environment by, among other things, behaving like greenhouse gases, and contribute to the formation of smog and ozone.

But there is now a coating that is based on water instead; a so-called water-based PU. Our rainwear manufacturer explains:

"Conventional PU releases DMF (dimethylformamide) and other chemical compounds in the drying process. Water-based PU, on the other hand, contains no oil and minimises the use of chemicals, and only releases water in the drying process."

PU is a type of plastic and is what gives rainwear its waterproof properties. PU does not contain the harmful PFAS and PVC, and Wheat's rainwear is made from GRScertified recycled polyester. Wheat's outerwear designer says:

"Rainwear is in every child's wardrobe, so it is positive that there is now a PU coating that eliminates the use of oil and chemical compounds."

She adds:

"High-performance outerwear requires functions that place demands on materials and processing, and it is not always possible to find adequate solutions that are free from, for example, oil. But water-based PU is just as waterproof as conventional PU, and therefore gives us an alternative that we have tested and can now offer our customers."