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Tag: nylon

ECONYL Sustainable Nylon Alternative

Posted on by dishanth
ECONYL Sustainable Nylon Alternative

Nylon is the stretchy material found in underwear, hosiery, activewear, swimwear, and even umbrellas. It was the first fabric to be made in a laboratory. Nylon is made out of crude oil and is very energy-intensive to produce. Producing nylon creates nitrous oxide, which is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Large amounts of water are needed to cool the fibres along with lubricants, which can become a source of contamination. Moreover, nylon is not biodegradable. If it makes its way into the oceans, it will degrade to thin fibres and small particles that wildlife can digest.

Many designers and fashion brands want to use a sustainable nylon alternative in their garments, but it is difficult to find them. One new sustainable nylon alternative is called ECONYL, a trademark of the Italian plastics company Aquafil. Sustainable nylon alternative ECONYL is made up of nylon waste, including fishing nets, fabric scraps, carpet flooring, and industrial plastic. The nylon waste is recovered and converted into new yarn. This regenerated nylon can be recycled, recreated, and remoulded repeatedly. ECONYL is chemically identical to nylon 6, which means it has the same characteristics as traditional nylon and can be used in the same ways.

The ECONYL Regenerative System happens in four steps.

  1. They rescue waste like fishing nets, fabric scraps, and industrial plastic from all over the world. The waste is sorted and cleaned to recover all of the nylon possible.
  1. Through radical regeneration and purification, the recovered nylon is recycled back to its original purity, allowing the quality of ECONYL to reflect that of fossil-based nylon.
  1. The recycled nylon is processed into new yarns and polymers for fashion and industrial brands.
  1. These brands can use ECONYL to create new products. Once the products containing ECONYL are no longer useful to customers, they can return and be regenerated again.

According to the ECONYL website, for every 10,000 tons of ECONYL raw material produced, they can save 70,000 barrels of cruise oils and over 65,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Switching to sustainable nylon alternative ECONYL also reduces the global warming impact of nylon by up to 90% compared with the material from oil.

Using abandoned fishing nets to make ECONYL helps to clean up the oceans and helps reduce the risk of marine animals getting entangled by abandoned nets. ECNOYL has teamed up with many take-back organizations to collect the materials used in creating their regenerative nylon. They have two carpet facilities in the US where they collect nylon 6. They also work with the Healthy Seas Foundation to collect recovered fishing nets.

ECONYL has teamed up with over 100 brands (many are swimwear and activewear brands) to include this sustainable nylon alternative in their products. Gucci, for example, launched its own recycling program to convert textile scraps into new ECONYL yarn. Gucci has also used ECONYL to create sustainable nylon alternative handbags. In 2023, Stella McCartney launched its first-ever close-the-loop garment, a parka made from ECONYL that is designed to be returned and regenerated into new yarn at its end-of-life. Adidas has been known to incorporate ECONYL into some of their swimwear designs.

We are also seeing ECONYL used in interior brands like Pottery Barn to make rugs and car brands like BMW and Mercedez-Benz to produce their car floor mats. BMW also uses ECONYL in various interior trims, such as seat covers, door panels, and dashboard components.

As more brands begin to use ECONYL in their designs, we may eventually see a phase-out of traditional, fossil-fuel nylon. This sustainable switch will help the design and fashion industries become greener, our oceans cleaner, and help to create bigger importance on recycling and regenerating used materials.

 

 

 

 

Source  Happy Eco News

The Plastic-Eating Enzymes Used in Recycling Clothing

Posted on by dishanth
The Plastic-Eating Enzymes Used in Recycling Clothing

Plastic eating enzymes have interested scientists looking for solutions to increasing plastic waste. Enzymes are important to living things because, as proteins, they allow biochemical reactions to happen faster than they would otherwise. They aid in everything from breathing to digestion. Enzymes are even used in food processing, paper industries, and detergents.

Because enzymes are so diverse in their uses, scientists have engineered a new enzyme to help us with our plastic program. These super plastic eating enzymes can break down plastic in a few days. Scientists believe this is a natural adaptation by the bacteria and might be a response to the increase of plastic in the environment.

The most common type of plastic that plastic eating enzymes can recycle is polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PET is a type of plastic used in many common products, such as bottles, food packaging, and textiles.

  • Other types of plastic that can be recycled by enzymes include:
  • High-density polyethylene (HDPE): found in plastic bottles and children’s toys.
  • Low-density polyethylene (LDPE): found in plastic bags, shrink wrap and food packaging.
  • Polypropylene (PP): found in disposable medical devices, textiles and auto parts.
  • Polystyrene/styrofoam (PS): found in takeout food containers, consumer electronics packaging and packing peanuts.

As the enzyme breaks down plastic, the bacteria produce MHETase, by which the enzymes break the pieces down further. After this process, other bacteria can break down the products into CO2 and water. Unlike other recycling methods, they can break down plastic into its original components, which can be reused to create new products. Enzymes require less energy than traditional methods, such as mechanical recycling. But maybe best of all is that they can be used to recycle plastic that is difficult or impossible to recycle using traditional methods such as those mixed with fabric or other dissimilar materials.

These plastic eating enzymes are now making an appearance in the fashion industry. The fashion industry uses tons of plastic-derived fibres in many clothing products. What’s worse is that very few of these materials are recycled today. Fashion brands have been known to turn to mechanical recycling and approaches using solvents to repurpose textiles for reuse. The challenge with these approaches is that they involve virgin plastics and require a lot of energy. Using plastic eating enzymes will break down plastic more efficiently. They will turn the materials into monomers that act like virgin-quality materials.

Athletic apparel company Lulelemon has teamed up with Australian startup Samara Eco to help them break down old textiles so they can be turned into new ones. Samara Eco has optimized plastic eating enzymes found in nature to efficiently recycle PET and polyester plastics at scale so they can be made into new, virgin-grade plastic.

The plastic waste is sourced and prepared for recycling by cold washing. The enzymes revert the plastic waste from its complex state into its original form. The plastics are then separated from any other additives like colourants. The recycled monomers can then be used in the re-manufacturing of brand-new plastics.

Using this technology, Lululemon hopes to spin used nylon and polyester blends from pre-owner, damaged or discarded apparel into a form that can be used in new collections. The partnership is Lululemon’s first-ever minority investment in a recycling company and Samsara’s first partnership with a clothing manufacturer. The recycling company hopes to make breakthroughs into the mainstream fashion industry as well as work with partners in other spaces to meet its goal of recycling 1.5 million tonnes of textiles by 2030.

This partnership is also part of Lululemon’s Be Planet goals and a step toward a circular ecosystem by 2030. Samsara Eco’s infinite recycling helps to close the clothing loop by using apparel waste to create new recycled materials over and over.

The two companies will create new recycled nylon and polyester made from apparel waste. They will be able to show that recycling textiles and repurposing materials is possible and can be done sustainably. This partnership might be the move we need to change the fashion industry for the future of our planet.

 

 

 

 

Source Happy Eco News

Creating Fabric Materials out of Bacteria

Posted on by dishanth
Creating Fabric Materials out of Bacteria

Fast fashion is a sector of the fashion industry whereby business models rely on cheap, rapid and large-scale production of low-quality clothing. Today’s clothing is made of durable and cheap materials such as nylon or polyester. Approximately 60% of fast fashion items are produced with plastic-based fabrics. The microplastics in these garments leach into the waterways with each wash and dry. Half a million tons of these contaminants enter the ocean each year. The fashion industry is also the world’s second-largest water supply consumer. On top of it all, more than 85% of the textiles and clothing purchased will end up in landfill every year.

Modern Synthesis, a biotechnology company, has created a biomaterial made from bacterial fermentation that can be used to create a low-carbon alternative to traditional clothing fabrics. The material the bacteria produces is called nanocellulose, which the company takes from waste feedstocks, including fruit or other agricultural waste. The bacteria will grow on that sugar and naturally produce nanocellulose.

The nanocellulose fibers are very strong and so small that they create strong bonds when they stick to each other. The fibers are eight times stronger than steel and stiffer than Kevlar. With the nanocellulose, the company is creating a material similar to nylon, ripstop fabric (woven fabric made out of nylon) or a coated textile. The material is designed to feel dry and warm, resembling cellulose or paper.

The process of creating the fabric can be adjusted by using different types of thread, some of which can biodegrade, while other threads can be recycled similarly to other cellulose. The project started with the creation of a shoe. Still, thanks to the material’s versatility, the company thinks it can be a good alternative to traditional textiles as it can also be dyed and given different coatings.

They believe their nanocellulose fibers are a significantly more sustainable fabric alternative to cotton, which takes a lot of resources and energy to transform. This material creates significantly fewer emissions than traditional textiles as it only requires transforming waste sugar into usable material. While the material is not yet available for consumer use, the company offers research, development, and consultation services to help brands make better, more environmentally friendly material choices.

As the fashion industry looks for more sustainable ways to make garments, many companies are moving towards using biomaterials to create new textiles. We are now seeing leathers made from fruits and vegetables, sequins made from algae, and so much more. As fast fashion continues to be a problem, the efforts that companies like Modern Synthesis are taking will help the industry reduce its environmental impact while continuing to clothe the world.

 

 

 

 

Source Happy Eco News