What Are Waterborne PU Coatings?
Waterborne polyurethane (PU) coatings are changing how technical textiles are made. Instead of using harmful solvents like DMF or NMP to carry polyurethane onto fabric, waterborne PU coatings use water as the carrier, delivering exceptional durability and flexibility with a fraction of the environmental and social impact.
For decades, manufacturers believed eliminating solvents meant sacrificing performance. Advances in waterborne polyurethane technology have proven otherwise. Today's waterborne polyurethane technology can deliver the waterproofing, abrasion resistance, and tear strength required for backpacks, luggage, outdoor gear, and other high-performance soft goods while dramatically reducing VOC emissions during manufacturing.
How Waterborne PU Coatings Work
Traditional solvent-based coating systems use carriers like DMF, NMP, and DMAC to deliver polyurethane onto fabric. These solvents are classified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reprotoxic (CMR) substances that release harmful VOCs during the drying process, creating serious risks for factory workers and contributing to air pollution across the supply chain.
Waterborne PU coatings eliminate these carriers by using water instead. When applied to a textile, the water evaporates as the fabric dries, allowing the polyurethane particles to fuse into a continuous protective film that improves the fabric's waterproofing, durability, UV protection, abrasion resistance, hand feel, and overall longevity.
Why PolyCore Is Different
Most waterborne PU coatings form a protective layer on the surface of the fabric. Over time, that surface layer can wear down through abrasion, repeated flexing, or washing. While waterborne chemistry has advanced significantly, how the coating is applied remains just as important as the coating itself.
We have spent a decade understanding the nuances of waterborne coatings, and we have different techniques to maximize performance categories. These include proprietary application processes, carbon nanotube reinforcement, and hyper-specific curing instructions for each fabric/ coating combinations. Our team says that waterborne coating application is not only a science, but an art form.
Lab tests have shown PolyCore coatings can increase abrasion resistance by up to 500%, achieve hydrostatic resistance exceeding 10,000 mm, and deliver up to four times the tear strength of TPU coatings. Our clean chemistry achieves 98% lower VOC emissions than standard solvent-based coatings and no intentionally added PFAS. PolyCore coatings are formulated to support compliance with EU REACH requirements and follow the ZDHC MRSL.
The Future of Textile Coatings
As regulations tighten and brands demand cleaner materials, waterborne PU coatings are quickly becoming the new standard for technical textiles. The question is no longer whether manufacturers can move away from solvent-based coatings, but how to do it without sacrificing performance.
At PolyCore, we work directly with textile mills and manufacturers around the world to make that transition seamless. By combining advanced waterborne polyurethane chemistry with our proprietary application process, we're helping build the next generation of high-performance textiles.
