DuPont™ Sorona® Adds to a Legacy in Fiber Technology Innovation
DuPont has been the world leader in polymer and fiber technology since the early 1900's. From the first plastic-coated fabrics developed in the 1910s to ground-breaking fibers like the versatile nylon, neoprene rubber fabric, elastic Lycra®, bullet-proof Kevlar®, and even Tyvek® and Teflon®, DuPont has created extraordinary textile products that have transformed contemporary living. As DuPont continues to develop new innovations in fiber technology, this timeline will grow.
2000s
- Grand Opening of the DuPont Tate & Lyle BioProducts Facility in Loudon, Tennessee, which manufactures natural and renewably sourced ingredients such as bio-based propanediol, a key ingredient of DuPont™ Sorona®.
- DuPont and Tate & Lyle PLC form a joint venture, DuPont Tate & Lyle BioProducts, to create materials from renewable resources like glucose.
- DuPont™ Sorona® renewably sourced fiber is commercially available for carpet and a wide range of apparel.
1990s
- Tactel® nylon fabrics used in apparel
- Thermolite® thin insulation battings
- Thermoloft® battings for protective outerwear insulation
- Quallofirm® pillows
- High Trek® blended yarns
- Comforel® pillows
1980s
- Quallofil® battings for sleeping bag insulation
- Supplex® nylon fiber for active outdoor apparel
- Coolmax® fabrics for active outdoor and performance apparel
- Softer Dacron® polyester
- Corebond® fibers for bedding
- Thermax® fabrics for outerwear
- Ultratech Orlon® acrylic
1970s
- Hollofil® fibers for pillow and upholstery insulation
- Typar® spun-bonded polypropylene for road building, drainage systems, inversion roofing, and landscaping
- Sontara® spunlaced fabric for lint-free apparel including hospital masks and surgical gowns and baby wipes.
1960s
- Kevlar® aramid fiber for ballistic and stab-resistant body armor and gloves
- Antron® nylon fiber
- Lycra® spandex fiber for apparel, providing comfort stretch and freedom of movement
- Nomex® aramid fiber, best known for firefighters’ apparel
- Tyvek® spun-bonded olefin for housing construction and for envelopes
- Teflon® FEP-fluorocarbon monofilament fiber
1950s
- Dacron® polyester fiber for apparel
- Teflon® fabric protector
- Dacron® polyester fiberfill
1940s
- Orlon® acrylic fiber for use in women’s sweaters, blankets, and carpets.
1930s
- Nylon fiber
- Neoprene synthetic rubber
1920s
- Cordura® high-tenacity rayon for apparel and textiles.
- Rayon fiber
- Acetate fiber
1910s
- Plastic-coated fabrics used in apparel. In 1915 DuPont purchased the Arlington Company, a manufacturer of Pyralin®, a nitrocellulose pyroxylin plastic used in automobile side curtains as well as combs, collars, and cuffs.
Sorona® contains 37% annually renewable plant based ingredients by weight (28% biobased carbon)