Completely waterproof
a water column of 20,000 mm, with welded seams on the vast majority of models
Biovinyl+
Biovinyl+
Biovinyl+ is the name of the material Farmerrain builds its rainwear from: a PVC fabric made from BIOVYN™ and plasticised with Pevalen™ Pro 100 — two raw materials linked to renewable biomass through certified mass balance, instead of relying solely on fossil feedstock. The result is the same proven properties galon fabric has always had — completely waterproof, hard-wearing, welded seams — combined with a plasticiser that is entirely free of phthalates.
What is Biovinyl+?
The PVC component is BIOVYN™ from INOVYN — the world’s first commercially available bio-attributed PVC, in production since 2021. Through certified mass balance, a share of renewable biomass is linked to the PVC that is produced, following the same accounting principle used for, for example, renewable electricity or bio-based plastics in other industries: the renewable feedstock is fed into a shared production process, and a corresponding quantity of the finished product is credited — attributed — as renewable, traceably, through a certified system. The substitution of fossil feedstock with renewable biomass is RSB-certified at 100 percent, the biomass doesn’t compete with the food chain, and according to INOVYN, BIOVYN™ delivers a greenhouse gas saving of over 90 percent compared with conventionally produced PVC.
The plasticiser component is Pevalen™ Pro 100 from Sweden’s Perstorp — entirely free of phthalates, and made from 100 percent renewable or recycled carbon under the same mass-balance principle, certified through ISCC PLUS. According to Perstorp’s own figures, the plasticiser has roughly an 80 percent lower carbon footprint (cradle to gate) than its fossil equivalent. Since the plasticiser, by Farmerrain’s own calculation, accounts for roughly 40 percent of a garment’s total climate footprint, that choice alone is one of the single most important factors in the material’s overall environmental performance.
Properties
Free of phthalates and PFAS
Never needs reproofing — the waterproofness lies in the material itself, not in a surface treatment that wears off.
Resistant to oil and cold.
Climate footprint and verification
Farmerrain’s sailing jacket has a third-party-verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD-IES-0005125) under the international standard ISO 14025, reviewed by Sweco Environment: 5.82 kg CO2e per jacket, cradle to grave. The declaration is valid until January 2027, and a new measurement is underway to capture material changes since the last one.
According to the same declaration, the jacket is made of 88 percent bio-based PVC and 12 percent recycled polyester from PET bottles (the backing fabric). The material contains no phthalates and no substances on the EU’s candidate list of substances of very high concern (SVHC), the water column is above 20,000 mm, and the material is Oeko-Tex tested.
The collaboration with Perstorp was described in a case study published on 26 August 2026. Jonas Carlsson: “With proper care, our rainwear can last at least 30 years.” Carola Carlsson: “We focus on improving our own operations rather than comparing ourselves to others.”
Cold
Perstorp's own tests of Pevalen™ Pro 100 show a softer feel, better fabric drape and retained flexibility in the cold compared with conventional plasticisers. Farmerrain's own field tests have shown unchanged properties down to around −30 °C. The garments are made and tested to perform well down to −30 °C — this is not a guarantee, and −50 °C is not promised.
lifespan
The technical lifespan is calculated at 30 years. With proper care, repair when needed and reasonable use, a Biovinyl+ garment can last at least 30 years. Heavily used garments, however, will find it difficult to reach this lifespan in practice.
Recycling
The fact that the material is phthalate-free increases the possibility that it can be recycled, compared with PVC containing phthalates or other substances that require special handling. We also always accept worn-out Farmerrain garments at our warehouse in Emmaboda, so the material can be recycled or reused properly.
Condensation and ventilation
Like all other completely waterproof, plastic-coated fabric, Biovinyl+ doesn’t let water vapour through. During high physical activity, moisture can therefore condense on the inside of the garment — that’s a characteristic of the material, not a defect. The solution is ventilation rather than a more waterproof fabric, and several of Farmerrain’s models are therefore built with mechanical ventilation: the Hunter jacket has vents on the chest and back, the Adventure anorak and the Trenchcoat 2.0 have back ventilation, and the Hunter waist trousers and the Matching Kid waist trousers have ventilation mesh.
Models
Biovinyl+ is used across large parts of Farmerrain’s own range of jackets, trousers, capes and overalls. One exception is the waders, which are not made in Biovinyl+.
The models below have mechanical ventilation built in
Matching Kid waist trousers
waist ventilation
Biovinyl+ compared with traditional PVC
Chemically, Biovinyl+ is still PVC — polyvinyl chloride — just as traditional galon fabric has always been, and the fundamental properties that have made the material the first choice in fishing, farming and professional life for over a hundred years remain the same: total waterproofness, high abrasion resistance, and seams that can be welded into a homogeneous, durable joint. The difference lies in two stages of the manufacturing chain. The first is the PVC feedstock itself: traditional PVC is made exclusively from fossil naphtha, whereas the BIOVYN™ in Biovinyl+ is linked to renewable biomass through certified mass balance — an accounting system in which a quantity of renewable feedstock is fed into a shared production process, and a corresponding quantity of the finished PVC is credited as renewable, traceably, through third-party certification. The substitution of fossil feedstock is RSB-certified at 100 percent and the biomass doesn’t compete with the food chain; according to INOVYN, this gives BIOVYN™ a greenhouse gas saving of over 90 percent compared with conventionally produced PVC. This doesn’t necessarily mean that every individual polymer molecule in the specific fabric that becomes a Farmerrain garment physically originates from biomass — mass balance is an established, certified method for introducing renewable feedstock into an existing production chain, widely used across the chemical industry, not a guarantee of physical traceability molecule by molecule. The second stage is the plasticiser, where the difference is more concretely measurable: traditional PVC is often plasticised with phthalates or chlorinated paraffins, substances subject to growing chemical regulation and which can complicate future recycling, whereas Biovinyl+ is plasticised with Pevalen™ Pro 100 — a polyol ester entirely free of phthalates, made from renewable or recycled carbon under the same mass-balance principle, with roughly an 80 percent lower carbon footprint than its fossil equivalent according to Perstorp’s own figures. Taken together, then, Biovinyl+ is not a different material from PVC, but the same material made with a feedstock chain linked to renewable sources and with a
plasticiser whose chemistry and climate footprint differ measurably and demonstrably from the industry standard.
FAQ
Yes. In addition to the PVC raw material BIOVYN™ (linked to renewable biomass through certified
mass balance) and the phthalate-free plasticiser Pevalen™ Pro 100, the backing fabric in all our own
fabric qualities is made of 100 % recycled PET polyester – and always has been, even in the older
Biovinyl generation before Biovinyl+ existed. The backing fabric makes up about 12 % of a jacket’s
total weight (according to our EPD for the sailing jacket); the rest is PVC coating – but that part of the
fabric is entirely recycled.
The smell comes from volatile substances — often plasticisers or residues from manufacturing — released from fresh plastic. The amount depends on the chemistry used: low-volatility, polyol-ester-type plasticisers, as in Farmerrain’s fabrics, release considerably less than older, more volatile alternatives. Air the garment out for a couple of days if it smells; a strong, lingering chemical smell on a cheap imported garment, on the other hand, is a warning sign worth taking seriously.
Stabilised PVC fabric. PVC itself is UV-sensitive, but coated fabric contains UV stabilisers and pigments and is therefore used in products left outdoors for years, such as tarpaulins and awnings.
The most common PU coatings are aromatic polyurethanes that photo-oxidise in sunlight: they yellow and become brittle, and UV exposure also speeds up hydrolytic ageing. UV-resistant aliphatic polyurethanes exist but are uncommon in consumer rainwear.
No. Biovinyl+ is used across large parts of the own range, but the waders, for example, are not made in Biovinyl+. Always check the material listing for each individual garment.
The material is completely waterproof and therefore doesn’t let water vapour through — during high activity, moisture can condense on the inside. The Hunter jacket, Adventure anorak, Trenchcoat 2.0, Hunter waist trousers and Matching Kid waist trousers have mechanical ventilation built in to manage this.
Chemically, it’s the same material — PVC — but the feedstock chain and the plasticiser differ. See the detailed section ‘Biovinyl+ compared with traditional PVC’ further down the page for the full comparison.
The fact that the material is phthalate-free increases the possibility that it can be recycled. We also always accept worn-out garments at our warehouse in Emmaboda for recycling or reuse.
Don’t wash unnecessarily — vinyl garments are easy to keep clean. Clean primarily with a damp cloth and lukewarm water, without detergent. For more stubborn dirt, you can use uncoloured soap. If the garment needs machine washing, wash at 40 °C without fabric softener, ideally inside out. Never tumble dry — let it air dry hanging instead. Creases can be gently ironed out at a low temperature from the inside, with a cloth in between. Don’t store light-coloured, glossy garments against dark colours, leather or faux leather, as they can transfer colour.
With proper care, a Biovinyl+ garment can last at least 30 years. Yes. We want your clothes to last as long as possible, which is why we offer repairs that extend the garment’s lifespan. You can repair it yourself with our repair kits or button kits, or send the garment in to us. We weld and repair at our warehouse in Emmaboda, or send it on to the factory when needed. When a garment reaches the end of its life, we’re happy to take it back, so the material can be properly recycled or reused at our warehouse in Emmaboda.
The garments are made and tested to perform well down to −30 °C, according to Farmerrain’s own field tests. This is not a guarantee, and −50 °C is not promised
It means that a quantity of renewable biomass or recycled carbon is fed into a shared production process, and a corresponding quantity of the finished product is then credited as renewable — traceably, through a certified system (ISCC PLUS for Pevalen™ Pro 100). It’s an established, certified accounting method used widely across the chemical industry, rather than a claim that every individual molecule physically comes from biomass.
No. The plasticiser Pevalen™ Pro 100 is entirely free of phthalates, and the material contains no PFAS. According to our Environmental Product Declaration, the material also contains no substances on the EU’s candidate list of substances of very high concern (SVHC), and it is Oeko-Tex tested.
Biovinyl+ is our own rainwear material. It’s made from BIOVYN™, the world’s first commercially available bio-attributed PVC, and the phthalate-free plasticiser Pevalen™ Pro 100 from Sweden’s Perstorp. The result is completely waterproof, free of phthalates and PFAS, and never needs reproofing. It’s field-tested down to −30 °C and built to last.
Biovinyl+ is Farmerrain’s own rainwear material. It is based on BIOVYN™ from INOVYN, the world’s first commercially available bio-attributed PVC, in which the fossil raw material has been replaced with renewable biomass. The plasticiser is Pevalen™ Pro 100 from Swedish company Perstorp, a phthalate-free plasticiser with 100 per cent renewable carbon content. According to Perstorp, it has around 80 per cent lower carbon footprint than the equivalent fossil-based plasticiser. Both the PVC and the plasticiser are tracked using a certified mass balance approach, and the plasticiser is ISCC PLUS certified. The material is free from phthalates and PFAS, never needs reproofing and has a third-party verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). It gives the same protection as traditional vinyl: fully waterproof, resistant to oil and cold, and made to last for many years.