Interview with Martin Bentz – CEO at Outlast Technologies GmbH
Outlast® Thermo-Technology was originally developed for NASA. It protects astronauts in space against temperature fluctuations of several hundred degrees. Outlast has made this space technology available to us residents on Earth. Today, millions of people worldwide use products that have become more comfortable due to Outlast® Thermo-Technology and are proven to reduce or even prevent the production of sweat.
• What is Outlast range of products? And which industries are using your products?
In fact, we offer a portfolio of thermoregulating materials, fibers, and fillings with a scope that is unparalleled worldwide. With these products, we service a wide range of industrial sectors, from apparel, shoes, sportswear and bedding to medical technology, orthopedic and military applications.
Our customers also include furniture and mattress manufacturers. In addition, our development team can respond very directly and precisely to customer-specific requirements.
• As a leading producer of high-performance textiles let us know about your latest innovations. What are your product’s main specifications?
We can offer a thermoregulating solution for virtually any textile product. With fresh2SKIN®, our newest achievement, we now offer the option of equipping existing products with our technology—all it takes is a dipping bath.
A dipping process can be integrated into any production process and yields enormous added value. As the name indicates, fresh2SKIN® already feels wonderfully cooling at first skin contact. An impressive experience at the POS that boosts sales.
• Please let us know about your sustainability policy. How we can have a sustainable textile industry?
Here at Outlast we also strive to make our products more sustainable. All of our items use wax, which is able to absorb heat and release it again at a later time via a phase change—the basis for Outlast® Thermo-Technology.
This wax was originally petroleum-based. With a great deal of research and development, we succeeded in replacing this wax with renewable natural wax. We are proud of this accomplishment.
• Do you have any focus on manufacturing textiles from recycled materials? Why recycling is important in textile sector?
Our portfolio includes recycling materials. They comply with the Global Recycling Standard (GLS) and our in-house development team is continuously searching for innovations in this area.
I think that this isn’t specifically about the textile industry. Every company as well as every individual should contribute to improving sustainability. This is the only way to master and overcome the challenges we face.
• Let us know more About Your plans for development, new investments, and goals for the future.
We have made a truly ingenious development in the insulation area. Based on aerogel, the lightest solid material in the world, we have developed materials with a thickness of only a few millimeters that feature the highest insulation levels.
With their space-saving and highly functional properties, they offer myriad entirely new implementation potentials. These materials are now available under the name Aersulate®.
• How do you evaluate the high-performance textiles sector generally and how do you predict 2023?
As a company, Outlast continues to enjoy great popularity and longstanding, solid partnerships, which is also reflected by the full order logs. As such, we see the year ahead from a positive and confident position.
The European market is actually the most significant for us, although the Asian and North American markets are close behind.
