Our collaboration with Bionic and local coastal communities in Costa Rica proves that innovation with purpose can create meaningful impact.
The Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica is a breathtaking landscape of sea turtles nesting grounds and diverse coastal habitats—but it has long faced the challenge of unmanaged plastic waste. Heavy rain wash discarded plastics from inland areas into rivers and oceans, threatening marine life and ecosystems. For decades, communities had no infrastructure, no formal waste recovery system, and little outside support.
That began to change when Bionic, a materials innovation company with deep community ties in Costa Rica, set out to prove that waste can be reimagined as value. Starting with grassroots beach cleanups, Bionic built a new model: community-operated collection, locally rooted recovery infrastructure, and global partnerships that transformed discarded plastic into premium raw materials. That’s where Gore Fabrics came in. We made an equity investment, helped fund facilities to sort and process the waste, and provided essential materials science and supply chain expertise. This enabled Bionic to create value from waste, part of which was used in the development in high-performance GORE-TEX® Laminates.
Innovation Rooted in Community, Scaled Through Collaboration
Gore Fabrics joined this mission not just with investment but with a belief that science, innovation, and human collaboration can drive meaningful change. And, because of our knowledge and standing in the global apparel industry, we were able to help Bionic quickly scale the process, connect them to other players in the textile supply chain, and provided access to brands eager to use. It’s a powerful testament to how vision and purpose can drive innovation to improve the impact of our operations.
So what does this look like in practice? In the case of Bionic, bags of plastic waste in Costa Rica are collected at recycling stations along roads and beaches, during organized community beach clean-ups, and through other local businesses and institutions. There is also plastic waste collected outside of Costa Rica. At a centralized facility, bottles and other plastic products are sorted into useful or unusable waste. These are then chopped, washed, and turned into flakes that can be used to create recycled polyester yarn.
From plastic to high performance
The BIONIC® textile used in certain GORE-TEX ® Products is made from a 50-50 mixture of plastic waste collected from Bionic’s operations in Costa Rica and plastic waste collected elsewhere. This recycled polyester textile is laminated to the GORE-TEX ® Brand’s next-generation ePE membrane, which is PFAS-free* with a reduced carbon footprint**, to create a fabric that is durably waterproof, windproof, and breathable.
There is a common misconception that recycled materials from waste are inferior. Part of the challenge was to create a product that upholds the highest quality and performance standards for which GORE-TEX® Products are known.
Thankfully, our unique holistic system, strengthened by the trust of our brand partners, enables us to create long-lasting products. The textiles used are extensively tested to ensure stringent GORE-TEX ® Brand quality & durability standards and certified according to the Global Recycled Standard (GRS).
Traction in the Market
Our collaboration’s impact is now visible across industries. In 2023, Patagonia introduced the Stormshadow Parka—the first consumer garment featuring a GORE-TEX ® Product with a recycled BIONIC ® textile. Soon after, other brands such as The North Face Japan, Stone Island and Acronym followed suit. With a growing materials platform, Bionic and Gore Fabrics are proving that waste recovery can power not just products, but entire industries.
A Vision for the Future
Our partnership is about more than fabric; it’s about building the blueprint for a new material world.
Together with communities, brands, and innovators, we are creating a future where coastal waste is no longer a liability but a resource; where recovery infrastructure fuels jobs and dignity; and where the world’s leading brands align with a supply chain that is as cultural as it is technical.
At its heart, the collaboration between Gore and Bionic shows that when science meets community, and when purpose drives innovation, meaningful change is possible.
* Made without intentionally added per- and polyfluorinated substances; may contain trace amounts
* Through the laminate’s innovative membrane and select textiles (per Higg MSI)
