ECONYL – REGENERATION FOR LIFE

We discovered Econyl® many years ago and quickly realized that it was a fantastic material in every way. We have since seen the brand grow and become widely known worldwide. Our long-term collaboration with Aquafil will continue and we have many new products underway that are from ECONYL®.

SOME SEE TRASH – OTHERS SEE TREASURES.

Waste that was previously buried in the ground or abandoned in the world’s oceans because it has been considered useless is now disposed of and used as a raw material in a unique process. Fishing nets, carpets, textile waste and plastic components, which would otherwise be a major environmental problem, are collected and used for ECONYL® Regeneration systems. A unique chemical and mechanical process that makes it possible to recreate nylon 6 polymer from nylon waste to be identical to the original PA6 polymer. These are then processed into NTF nylon yarns that have the same purity, strength and properties as original nylon (virgin nylon). Finally, everything becomes fabrics / textile products with a double benefit for the environment. On the one hand, no fossil raw material is used in the manufacture of new nylon, and in addition, care is taken of what would otherwise have a heavy impact on the environment. Recreating a material is not the same as recycling, which makes this process unique.

For every 10,000 tonnes of ECONYL® PA6 polymer, 70,000 barrels of crude oil, emissions of 57,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents and 1,012,000 GJ are saved on the total primary energy requirement.

In 2017, Aquafil started a multi-year research project in collaboration with Genomatica Inc., which aims to produce Nylon by using only renewable plant-based materials to replace those derived from crude oil, which is commonly used in the nylon industry. At the same time, the EFFECTIVE project was launched: it is one of the most important industrial initiatives aimed at implementing the principles of circular economy in the textile and packaging sector. The project, which is coordinated by Aquafil and funded by the European research program H2020, aims to develop innovative materials (such as bio-nylon) from renewable raw materials.