SHANGHAI, Aug. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As global supply chains accelerate their transition to sustainability, the high-performance waterproof-breathable textile sector has reached a decisive moment for innovation — a fabric revolution centered on PFAS-free technologies is now underway.
On August 28, 2025, ANTA, in partnership with Donghua University, formally unveiled China's home-developed high-performance PFAS-FREE waterproof-breathable material — AEROVENT ZERO — marking a pivotal breakthrough for the global high-performance PFAS-FREE waterproof-breathable textile industry. As China's first independently developed and mass-produced high-performance PFAS-FREE waterproof-breathable membrane, the launch of ANTA AEROVENT ZERO signifies that China has overcome a world-class industrial challenge and will reshape the competitive landscape of technical textiles.
Accelerating sustainability in high-performance textiles — ANTA's in-house R&D leapfrogs industry norms
High-performance PFAS-FREE waterproof-breathable fabric is widely recognized as a global industry-level challenge. Current mainstream PFAS-free solutions are largely driven by international technology routes. To secure autonomy over core technologies and broaden consumer choice, ANTA — together with Donghua University — pursued an indigenous R&D pathway and developed a PFAS-FREE, bio-based high-performance waterproofing membrane: AEROVENT ZERO. This innovation represents a distinct "China solution" for the world.
AEROVENT ZERO leverages an internally developed, high moisture-conductivity bio-based polymer combined with micro- and nano-scale structural engineering to deliver a marked improvement in vapor permeability. Coupled with a suite of PFAS-FREE process innovations — including PFAS-FREE durable water-repellent (DWR) surface modification and PFAS-FREE adhesives — the membrane also preserves robust waterproof performance. Test results from Authorized Third-Party Laboratories confirm that waterproof-breathable laminates incorporating AEROVENT ZERO now meet international leading benchmarks on core metrics — a hydrostatic head of 18,000 mmH?O and a moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) of 7,000 g/(m²?24h) — successfully overcoming the global challenge of "PFAS-FREE high performance."
In a pioneering move, the R&D team substituted petroleum-derived polymers with a bio-based polymer (bio-based content ≈ 20%) in AEROVENT ZERO. This approach not only aligns more closely with long-term sustainability trajectories than many existing PFAS-FREE solutions from international competitors, but it also gives the Chinese brand a decisive first-mover advantage and demonstrates an ability to "leapfrog" in technology development. (PFAS-FREE in this context indicates that no organofluorine compounds were added during production; per GB/T 31126, "per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances" were not detected.)
Deep industry-academia integration — ANTA's model bridges the "final 99 km" from laboratory to market
Translating cutting-edge materials science from the lab to commercial scale requires a long, multifaceted value chain: fundamental research, applied testing, product refinement and finally scaled manufacturing. If the lab breakthrough counts as the opening kilometer of a technical endurance race, then testing, yield optimization and mass production make up the critical remaining 99 kilometers. Backed by extensive in-house R&D capability, a formalized industry-university collaboration with Donghua University, and efficient, deep-level integration across the supply chain — including vertically integrated garment factories — ANTA has closed that gap. The company has become the first in the sector to achieve large-scale production of AEROVENT ZERO, completing the "final 99 km" of scientific and technological achievement transformation
Throughout development, AEROVENT ZERO underwent comprehensive laboratory evaluation, iterative R&D tuning, pilot production trials and real-world field testing, with the overall R&D→testing→production workflow aligned with international advanced standards. After more than a hundred pilot production trials and collaborative field validations conducted with scientific experts across diverse outdoor environments, the product's quality yield and performance stability meet stringent benchmarks. Thanks to ANTA's mature manufacturing system and its ability to integrate industrial resources, AEROVENT ZERO not only rivals international brands on technical performance but is also priced at roughly one-third the cost of comparable global fabrics. This price-performance balance enables broader access to high-performance waterproof-breathable textiles, accelerates the diffusion of green textile technologies from lab to consumer, and strengthens the positioning of Chinese brands in leading the global shift toward PFAS-FREE performance apparel.
Xu Yang, CEO of ANTA Brand, presents the first next-generation ANTA Waterproof Jacket to Donghua University
"The Fabric of the 21st Century" — delivering sustainable solutions for global textile innovation
Against the tide of industrial transformation driven by sustainability, innovation in technical textiles — the pursuit of the "Fabric of the 21st Century" — has become the fulcrum of technological breakthrough and green transition. AEROVENT ZERO, developed domestically in China, supplies the world with a sustainable, scalable solution and signals that Chinese brands, propelled by research excellence, are accelerating the sustainability shift and increasingly participating in the reconfiguration of global technological leadership and market pricing power.
ANTA Group aims to raise the share of sustainable products to 50% and to source 50% of raw materials from sustainable origins by 2030. The large-scale deployment of AEROVENT ZERO marks a significant milestone in ANTA's sustainability roadmap. The new generation ANTA Waterproof Jacket featuring AEROVENT ZERO will roll out simultaneously to overseas markets, with projected sales surpassing 500,000 units by 2026. Poised to become an iconic product in the high-performance PFAS-FREE outerwear segment, it is expected to stand as a landmark in the high-quality development of China's footwear and apparel manufacturing sector.
Debut of the new-generation ANTA Waterproof Jacket equipped with AEROVENT ZERO (installation on site)
Key milestones in the development of China's home-grown "AEROVENT":
2017: ANTA begins investing in research and experimental development for high-performance waterproof-breathable fabrics.
2021: ANTA and Donghua University's Innovation Research Institute establish a joint project to accelerate R&D in apparel innovation materials and fabric technologies.
September 2023: ANTA and Donghua University jointly introduce China's first independently developed high-performance waterproof-breathable membrane — AEROVENT — and launch the first ANTA membrane-equipped shell positioned at the ~RMB 1,000 price tier: ANTA Waterproof Jacket.
2024: Small-batch production of ANTA Waterproof Jacket fitted with the PFAS-FREE bio-based ANTA membrane; internal testing and tuning are conducted in collaboration with China National Geographic's outdoor expert team.
September 2025: ANTA officially releases the PFAS-FREE bio-based high-breathability waterproof membrane — AEROVENT ZERO — and debuts China's first self-developed high-performance PFAS-FREE shell equipped with it: the new-generation ANTA Waterproof Jacket. Building on this foundation, ANTA continues to advance parallel R&D tracks across multiple technological pathways.
