How CiCLO is Taking On the Outdoor Industry's Microplastics Problem
Learn about how CiCLO technology helps polyester and nylon fibers to biodegrade in the environment
Updated:
Mar 27, 2026Table of contents
The outdoor industry has a plastic problem. Polyester fleeces and nylon tents offer excellent durability and performance, but during production, use, and at the end of life, these synthetic fibers break down into microplastics that pollute oceans and soil, and accumulate in human bodies and wildlife. Unlike natural fibers, synthetic fabrics can take hundreds of years to biodegrade in the environment—until now.
CiCLO is a new textile additive that helps these fibers biodegrade in natural environments and landfills within four years, addressing microplastic pollution head-on. To learn more, we spoke with representatives from CiCLO and Black Diamond (one of the first outdoor brands to implement CiCLO into its lineup) to understand how this technology works.
Polyester is the world’s most widely used fiber, accounting for almost 60% of global fiber production. It's ubiquitous in outdoor apparel, insulation, and other applications, thanks to its durability, breathability, and moisture-wicking properties. Like other synthetic fabrics, polyester is made from virgin fossil fuels or recycled polyethylene terephthalate (typically derived from plastic water bottles). It’s a form of plastic and can take hundreds of years to biodegrade in the environment.
Nylon only accounts for around 5% of the global fiber market, but it’s commonly used in durable outdoor gear (like backpacks, tents, and ski outerwear). Like polyester, nylon is also made from fossil fuels, and is even more environmentally persistent—meaning that the nylon face fabric on your favorite puffy jacket will break down into smaller and smaller pieces (known as microplastics) over time. But the fiber takes even longer than polyester to show any amount of biodegradation in the ocean, soil, or landfill.
When synthetic fibers are produced, washed, and disposed of, they shed small, plastic microfibers—or microplastics—that can enter waterways, soil, and the bodies of humans and animals. Fibrous microplastics account for 50-70% of microplastic pollution, and the majority of these fibers come from synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon. When these microplastics build up in ecosystems, they can be ingested by marine life, wildlife, and humans, causing adverse health impacts, including endocrine and immune system disruption.
What is CiCLO, and How Does it Work?
Plastic pollution is a problem across the outdoor industry, and when we heard about CiCLO, a textile additive that could help microorganisms digest polyester and nylon much more quickly than conventional synthetics, we were curious to learn more. To do so, we spoke with Cheryl Smyre, Vice President of CiCLO, to understand how the technology works and how it could reduce plastic pollution in the outdoor industry.
CiCLO is an additive that is incorporated into the molecular structure of polyester or nylon to accelerate the fiber’s biodegradation in the environment. It's added during the polymerization process, which creates the fiber's molecular structure by joining small molecules, or monomers, into larger chains called polymers. Conventional polyester can take hundreds of years to degrade in the environment because it is composed of long, complex, and rigid polymer chains held together by strong bonds; as a result, these bonds are difficult for microorganisms to break down. In short, microorganisms struggle to access the carbon in conventional polyesters and nylons, which is why they take so long to biodegrade.
Microorganisms seek carbon to fuel metabolism, and CiCLO serves as a nutrient that makes the carbon in synthetic fibers more readily accessible to them. The CiCLO additive contains easy-to-digest, short-chain biopolymers suspended within a fiber’s matrix, attracting microorganisms to the fiber. Once microorganisms break down the CiCLO chains, they can continue to break down standard polyester chains in the fiber, eventually biodegrading the entire fiber. Notably, CiCLO is homogeneously blended into a synthetic fiber, ensuring even distribution throughout a fabric. This even distribution allows the fiber to break down uniformly, meaning the whole thing biodegrades at the same rate. Additionally, CiCLO remains embedded in the fabric throughout a product’s lifetime and does not degrade during wash cycles or use.
To digest a CiCLO fabric, microorganisms release enzymes to break down polymer bonds, in turn expiring gases such as methane and carbon dioxide depending on the environmental conditions. The result? Biodegradation of CiCLO fabrics occurs significantly faster than conventional polyester, with CiCLO studies indicating that fibers biodegrade by at least 90% within 4 years, rather than hundreds. Faster degradation reduces environmental persistence, meaning fewer microplastics in the environment.
Biodegradable vs. Compostable
Note the difference between the following related but distinct terms: “biodegradable” and “compostable.” CiCLO helps polyester and nylon biodegrade in the environment, meaning that CiCLO makes it possible for microorganisms in the natural environment, like bacteria, fungi, and algae, to break the fibers down into water, carbon dioxide, methane, biomass, and inorganic compounds. Compostable materials break down into the same components, but they need to be processed in a composting facility to do so. CiCLO fibers don’t need to be sent to a composting facility in order to break down; they can degrade naturally in wastewater sludge, seawater, soil, and biologically active landfills.
What’s Left Behind?
Typically, synthetic microfibers break down into tiny, fibrous microplastics that persist in the environment and travel up the food chain. CiCLO synthetics can be broken down into usable nutrients much more quickly, decreasing their environmental persistence. Microorganisms digest CiCLO fibers, and around 90% of the fibers are converted into gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. The remaining 10% is biomass that is absorbed into a microorganism’s cell wall. In short, like cotton or wool, CiCLO fibers turn into greenhouse gases and biomass when biodegraded. Notably, CiCLO representatives state that no microplastics are left behind at the end of the biodegradation process. “Essentially, it is a solution for all end-of-life environments where synthetic textiles are pollutants,” said Cheryl Smyre, vice president of CiCLO.
Where Can CiCLO Fibers Biodegrade?
CiCLO can only biodegrade in environments where natural materials can biodegrade, including those with moisture and microorganisms. The moisture content and number of microorganisms in an environment affect how quickly a fiber degrades. For this reason, CiCLO polyester cannot degrade in Arctic or desert environments (where microorganisms cannot survive); biodegradation can only occur in environments with moisture, microorganisms, and suitable temperatures.
During biodegradability testing, CiCLO researchers studied biodegradation rates in four environments where microplastics commonly end up: seawater, soil, wastewater sludge, and biologically active landfills. While all CiCLO fibers biodegraded within four years, they did so at different rates in each environment. Degradation rates depended on moisture and the number of microorganisms present; CiCLO fibers degraded faster in environments with high moisture and many microorganisms. For example, in wastewater sludge, CiCLO fibers degraded by at least 90% over about 2.5 years, whereas in seawater, it took just under 4 years for the fibers to degrade. In soil, CiCLO fibers degraded in just over 3 years, and in biologically active landfills, degradation took around 3.5 years.
Don’t Throw Away Your CiCLO Fleece
You might be wondering—if my CiCLO fleece can biodegrade, can I just bury it in the yard or throw it away? Please don’t. CiCLO is designed to reduce long-term environmental impact, not to encourage disposal. We’re excited about CiCLO technology because it helps degrade plastic microfiber pollution naturally in the environment on a human timeline, rather than a multigenerational one. If the outdoor industry continues to manufacture synthetic products, these products will continue to shed plastic microfibers into natural systems. Using CiCLO fabrics rather than conventional fibers ensures that these microfibers don’t persist in oceans and soil for hundreds of years. But just like any piece of outdoor gear, products made with CiCLO fabrics should be cared for throughout their lifetime, repaired when damaged, and kept in circulation for as long as possible. Notably, just like conventional synthetic fabrics, CiCLO fabrics can be recycled at the end of life, so if a brand offers a program like this, we recommend sending it in when your gear fails. The technology is intended to complement other circularity initiatives (like resale, recycling, and repair), while preventing unintentional release of microplastics into the environment.
Where to Find CiCLO Products
Currently, there are few CiCLO products on the outdoor gear market, but we expect their popularity to grow over time. In spring 2026, Black Diamond released its first products featuring CiCLO technology, the Rift Half-Zip and Full-Zip Fleeces. Made from fully-recycled CiCLO polyester, the Rift is the outdoor industry’s first fleece jacket of its kind. “We wanted to take a more responsible sustainability perspective on bringing a new fleece to the market,” said Emily Peterson, a material developer at Black Diamond. “Fleece is one of those hot topic categories, and it’s probably the biggest area where microfiber shedding is an issue. It’s an issue across most fabrics, but specifically in [fleece] processing, sewing, and out in the wild, it definitely has an impact,” said Petersen. Fleeces have broad appeal across a range of outdoor sports, making them an excellent entry point for the technology. Although Black Diamond has not yet released plans for future CiCLO offerings, it plans to continue the partnership and incorporate CiCLO into other products in the future.
Outside of the outdoor industry, CiCLO is being adopted by several other brands. For example, Fruit of the Loom incorporated the biodegradable polyester into its Iconic 250 Sweats Collection, and ROFA, an industrial workwear brand, brought it into its Move Easy Workwear line. Additionally, Costco and Walmart have featured CiCLO polyester in athleisure offerings.
For a full directory of products featuring CiCLO technology, check out CiCLO’s website.
Will My CiCLO Fleece Biodegrade While I’m Using it?
If a biodegradable fabric worries you from a durability standpoint, you’re not alone. Black Diamond representatives tested the Rift Fleece in the lab and found that the material passed all tests without issue. When it sent the Rift out into the mountains with its athletes, they reported no noticeable difference in performance compared to conventional fleeces. CiCLO claims that polyester fibers only begin to biodegrade after prolonged exposure to moisture and microorganisms—not during normal use. At Better Trail, we plan to put the Rift through thorough field durability testing and will publish an update on performance once the data is in.
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