The 3M Thinsulate team helped a more than 40-year business partner Watson Gloves -- a fourth generation family-owned company founded in 1918 in Vancouver, British Columbia and a leading North American supplier of quality gloves for gardening, construction, motorcycling and more -- mark its second century in business with a statement-making move toward sustainable materials and business practices.
With the Thinsulate team’s guidance and product counsel, Watson Gloves decided their eco-evolution goal is to transition all of its gloves made with standard Thinsulate insulation to Thinsulate Type EC, which contains 78% fibers made from post consumer recycled plastic water bottles, is Global Recycled Standard certified, and produced in mills that are Bluesign and Oeko-Tex certified. The company plans to complete this transition by the end of 2023.
While various retail outdoor apparel and gear brands have been transitioning to sustainable materials in recent years, Watson Gloves is at the forefront of sustainable innovation for its category in the personal protective equipment (PPE) industry. In September, the company proudly debuted its initial offering of industrial workforce hand protection products featuring Thinsulate Type EC at the National Safety Congress & Expo (NSC) in San Diego.
“Workers in industries such as oil, gas and construction can go through numerous pairs of gloves each year due to rugged daily use, and their used products end up in landfills. Being able to look at the beginning of the product life cycle and use sustainable materials to manufacture our gloves helps to reduce that footprint,” said Laura Whitlock, Watson Gloves senior director of marketing and innovation.
“3M Thinsulate continuously pursues innovations to expand our sustainable product offerings. We are proud to help our progressive customers like Watson Gloves to not only expand their sustainable product offerings, but also to help them support their industrial customers’ ESG goals,” said Mike Mandanas, Ph.D., 3M Home, Health and Auto Care Division global research and development director.
“We are committed to sustainable developments and innovation, and we saw an opportunity to elevate the industrial PPE industry and be a market innovator by using recycled materials. We hope other manufacturers that saw our collection at NSC will be inspired to explore more sustainable options. Teaming up with a reputable company like 3M has made it easy for us bring sustainability to the jobsite without compromising the warmth or performance of our products – which ultimately helps us to elevate our overall brand and reputation.”
For a complete list of Watson Gloves made with Thinsulate Type EC insulation, click here.
