Its combination of functionality, fashion and environmental compatibility wins over the panel of judges. The fully recyclable, environmentally friendly “Eco-Blue” ski jacket is a worthy recipient of the prestigious ispo European Ski Award.

It’s official: Sympatex, the Munich-based functional clothing specialist, has won the prestigious ispo European Ski Award for the second time in a row – its third ispo award in just one year.

Sympatex also took home the award for the best product in the Skiwear category at the last ispo Winter 2007 for its heat-reflecting Reflexion laminate.

And the company quickly followed up that success with another at ispo Sport & Style in summer 2007. This time the company beat all competition in the Footwear category with its Airflow concept shoe with added High2Out feature.

Along with the ispo Outdoor Award and the ispo Boardsports Award, the European Ski Award is one of the most important prizes in the sporting goods industry.

This was what won over the panel of judges:
Environmental compatibility: The jacket particularly impressed with its unique materials, all of which are made exclusively from recycled raw materials.

The Sympatex laminate is made from polyester-polyether copolymer, which consists entirely of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

Unlike other breathable membranes, which contain fluorocarbons and isocyanide derivatives from ester and ester groups, Sympatex polymers are similar to natural substances, meaning that they can be broken down by naturally occurring enzymes into harmless water and carbon dioxide.

This eco-laminate is created from a combination of the Sympatex membrane and a polyester material that is manufactured from recycled PET bottles, resulting in an end product of which 90% is derived from recycled polymers.

As PET is extremely compatible with Sympatex polymers, all eco-laminates can be melted down and recycled easily. The small number of metal accessories used can be easily separated using a magnet.

The Sympatex membrane has been awarded the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification.
Functionality: The “Eco-Blue” ski jacket has all the important characteristics and features you would expect from a top-quality ski jacket. Needless to say, it is windproof and waterproof, extremely breathable and boasts ultrasonically welded seams, waterproof zippers, elastic cuffs, a fleece collar, ski pass pouch and snow cuffs.

Fashion: This jacket’s feminine style and cut accentuate the figure nicely, while the silver “Laser Cut” reflective strips – and in particular the exceptional digital prints on the inner lining – make the “Eco-Blue” a treat for the eyes as well.

This unique concept enabled Sympatex to outpace all of its competitors in the clothing category to win this year’s ispo European Ski Award.

Production: The “Eco-Blue” ski jacket is produced by the Barco Tekstil Company in Istanbul, Turkey. Barco employs state-of-the-art technology, yet is also very environmentally aware.

The importance of environmental protection and regeneration is firmly anchored in the company’s philosophy. One example of this textile manufacturer’s efforts to balance its impact on the environment is its policy of planting a tree for every one thousand items it produces and of sorting its waste for the recycling facility – measures that by are by no means common practice in Turkey.

The company is also planning to construct a new building in 2008 that will be built solely from environmentally friendly and natural materials such as stone and glass. Its wastewater will be treated and recycled for reuse in the production process.

The company will produce warm water using its own solar energy facility. Being located in Turkey, the company also offers shorter transport routes than locations in the Far East, something that not only helps to protect the environment, but also facilitates faster deliveries and greater flexibility.

ispo European Ski Award:
The ispo European Ski Award is one of the most important and prestigious ski awards in the sporting goods industry. Along with the Outdoor and Boardsports Awards, it is presented annually to the best product innovations in the winter sport sector.

For the 2008/2009 winter season, the award is being presented in the following categories: Hardware, Clothing, Ski Boots, Bindings, Nordic and Specials.

A panel of international experts evaluates the submitted products according to specific criteria – innovation, functionality, quality, technical solutions, user-friendliness, usability and design – and then selects the winners in each category.