When an armoured vehicle catches fire, the internal temperature reaches several hundred degrees Celsius within seconds. A soldier may not manage to evacuate before their clothing ignites. At this moment, what they wear next to the skin ceases to be just a uniform element and becomes the decisive factor for their life and health. Certified flame-retardant underwear made from appropriate fibres chars, forming an insulating barrier and does not adhere to the body. Standard polyester melts and remains on the skin forever. This is the difference of a single clothing layer—this layer, for the armies of Poland, Sweden, Germany, Norway, Finland, and Estonia, is produced by TRAWENA. A European leader in flame-retardant underwear production from Poland.
The standard that measures seconds to burn
ISO 11612:2015 – every military order for flame-retardant underwear begins with this. The standard defines protection thresholds against convective heat, radiation, splashes, and contact with hot surfaces. Each threshold represents a specific value of thermal energy, beyond which the material must still protect the skin from second-degree burns. But ISO 11612 is only the beginning. NATO armies ask further: how does the material behave after fifty washes? Does it interfere with combat electronics? Does it inhibit bacterial growth when a soldier has no access to a shower for a week? Did the seams chafe the skin after a twelve-hour march with full kit?
TRAWENA answers these questions before they are even asked. The company controls the entire production chain—from fibre and yarn selection, through fabric construction, to finishing and testing. Changing a single parameter along the way can disqualify the finished product. Therefore, manufacturers without this level of control do not enter military tenders. This is why there are so few of them.
In addition to certificates derived from military standards, TRAWENA adds three management certifications, which are rare in the textile segment. ISO 9100—quality management in the aviation, space, and defence industry standard—means the company’s processes meet the requirements set for weapons systems suppliers, not just clothing. ISO 27001 secures information—essential for classified technical documentation of military orders. ISO 14001 confirms environmental management—an increasingly frequent requirement in NATO tenders.
In military procurement, one does not compete solely on the product, but on the ability to meet rigorous technical requirements and maintain them at scale. “Certificates, both product and management-based, are confirmation for us that every stage of the process—from fibre selection to the finished product—operates in a predictable and repeatable manner. This is particularly vital in the defence sector, where the margin for error practically does not exist, and product quality translates directly into user safety”, says Sebastian Knap, CEO of Trawena.
Modacrylic: the foundation of the protection system for Poland and the Baltic states
Modacrylic is a fibre with inherent, permanent fire resistance. It does not lose it after washing. It requires no chemical finishing, which degrades over time. It chars and crumbles under heat, making it optimal for flame-retardant underwear systems in harsh operational conditions..
For the Polish Armed Forces, we have supplied modacrylic systems certified by the Military Centre for Research and Development of Uniformed Services and tested by the Textile Research Institute. “I can say with absolute certainty that Poland, since approximately 2015, has possessed one of the best individual soldier protection systems in the world. TRAWENA is part of the infrastructure that delivers this standard. We are proud of this”, adds Knap.
Aramids for the Bundeswehr – the highest bar in NATO
Meta-aramids are another level of protection. They retain their properties at temperatures where modacrylics lose effectiveness. The standard for armoured vehicle crews—where thermal intensity is highest and reaction time shortest.
Entering the Bundeswehr supply chain is not simple. Full traceability of components at every production stage. Certification of every manufacturing process. Documentation that can be traced back to a specific batch of fibre. This is the highest qualification bar in the flame-retardant underwear segment in Europe. TRAWENA has cleared it. References from the Bundeswehr opened the doors to Europe for us.
Merino wool – the most difficult project and a growing strategic advantage
Merino wool is the most complex technology in TRAWENA’s portfolio—and the one that most strongly distinguishes the company from European competition. Wool is naturally flame-retardant: its protein structure causes it to crumble and self-extinguish without external fire modifiers. It offers thermoregulation and moisture transport that no synthetic fibre replicates across the full range of Nordic temperatures—from extreme cold to intense physical exertion generating large amounts of sweat. For soldiers operating on NATO’s Nordic flank, in Norway, Sweden, and Finland, this is an operationally critical property.
For the Swedish armed forces, TRAWENA completed a full research and development programme for merino wool-based flame-retardant underwear—from fibre blend specification, through prototype iterations and lab tests, to military qualification conducted by FMV (Försvarets materielverk).
The Swedes knew what they wanted. They didn’t come to buy a finished product. They came for a partner for joint creation. TRAWENA conducted a full research and development programme. Today, it is part of the Framework Knitwear agreement for the Swedish army. For Finland, deliveries go directly to Puolustusvoimien logistiikkalaitos—the central logistics centre of the Finnish defence forces.
TRAWENA is one of the leading players in the production of flame-retardant underwear in Europe. There are very few manufacturers on the continent with active military qualification in this segment. TRAWENA is among them—and continues to build this position.
What next – hybrids, new markets, the next decade
The next direction is export and expansion into European markets – we are currently looking at the BeNeLux countries, Denmark, France, and Spain. The future of TRAWENA is promising – the new board has decided to focus fully on flame-retardant underwear for the military and uniformed services. A segment with a high barrier to entry, requiring the highest certifications, based on long-term relationships with institutional clients. And that is precisely why it is very difficult for competitors to copy.
