The main market driver in the textile sector is the growing demand for products and the need to respond without adverse environmental impact. The proportion of bio-based textile fibers has been steadily declining for decades, mainly due to the ecological limits of cotton production and the progress made in synthetic fibers.
The challenge is to develop processing technologies and create an innovative and sustainable bio-based textile economy based on circular economy principles, thereby making efficient use of resources, radically improving recycling, phasing out the release of plastic microfiber, and accelerating the development and adoption of sustainable circular business models.
Work on the sustainability and safety of end products should cover resource use as a whole and incorporate established standards for products with a small environmental footprint, from life cycle assessment to eco-labeling. In addition, activities should investigate the elements necessary for the development of innovative circular business models for bio-based textiles.
This is why the European Commission outlined a proposal requesting an EU contribution of around €7 million that would adequately address this challenge.
ECONYL®: the Recycled Material used by Gucci and Prada
As a result, in 2019 an agreement was signed by giants such as Inditex, H&M, Chanel and Kering, by which these and other entities undertake to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or to reject single-use plastics.
Numerous environmental reproaches are being levelled at an industry that has become ensconced in a frenetic model of manufacturing and consumption. As a result, many brands are becoming increasingly aware of the role they can or must play in the context of the climate crisis. Some of the rules of the game are beginning to change and other players are taking on a new leading role. This is the case of the Italian group Aquafil, one of the global leaders in the production of recycled nylon, better known as ECONYL®.
This is a material that has gained popularity in recent months thanks to collaborations such as the one announced at the end of June by Prada. The house has launched some of its bags and backpacks in a more sustainable version thanks to the use of Econyl. It is not the only one. In June 2018, Gucci had already carried out the creation of a new program, Gucci Equilibrium, in collaboration with the recycling company to develop ready-to-wear garments.
How Econyl Turns Waste into Material
Econyl collects nylon 6 worldwide through different initiatives and projects, such as the ECONYL® Reclaiming Program: a global program to recover all types of nylon waste with operators in the USA, Egypt, Greece, Pakistan, Thailand, Norway and Turkey. Aquafil also has Aquafil's carpet recycling facility in the U.S. that allows it to recover nylon waste from old carpets.
Econyl's regeneration system begins with salvaging materials from landfills and oceans around the world. That waste is then sorted to recover as much nylon as possible. Through a radical regeneration and purification process, the formerly waste nylon is recycled back to its original purity. This means that Econyl regenerated nylon is exactly the same as virgin nylon.
Econyl is processed into yarn for making fabrics and carpets, which will be used by the fashion industry and the interior sector. Fashion houses and carpet houses use Econyl to create new products. The aim is that all products containing this material can be recycled again once they have outlived their usefulness to create a circular supply chain.
The Issue of Microfibers
The microfiber problem is a challenge that includes the entire textile and apparel industry, and it is one that all companies need to take very seriously. Any type of fabric can release fibers or particles when washed, and these can end up in our water systems and oceans. This poses a risk to both marine life and human health, so we are following studies that look for solutions to this type of pollution.
We produce Econyl from materials that have been salvaged from oceans and landfills, where they were already shedding microfibers or breaking into smaller and smaller pieces in marine environments. Turning this trash into high-quality fibers makes it disappear from those environments. But we recognize the need to address the potential risks of fibers shed from our end product.