“Waste, for me, is not something to be disposed of, but a fantastic resource,” says The Aquafil Group CEO and Chairman, Giulio Bonazzi. “When I see a landmine site, I really see a goldmine.” It is this thinking that, ten years ago, inspired Aquafil to create ECONYL® regenerated nylon and build a circular solution to tackling the planet’s pollution problem.
With regeneration the foundation of the brand’s ideology, ECONYL® regenerated nylon is created by turning nylon waste such as fishing nets, old carpets and textile scraps into an infinitely recyclable material that still boasts the same qualities of that of brand-new nylon. Statistically speaking, ECONYL® regenerated nylon is an important solution to the planet’s rehabilitation. For every 10,000 tons of ECONYL® regenerated nylon created, 70,000 barrels of crude oil are saved, and 65,100 tonnes of CO2 eq. emissions are avoided.
With initial research into the life cycle of nylon 6 products (carpets and fishing nets, for example) illustrating the challenges disassembly would pose to creating this regenerative process, the brand looked to new technologies to help realise its vision. “This hurdle forced us to literally invent and implement a new set of technologies to disassemble the various components while finding different purposed for each one of them to avoid sending any product to landfill,” explains Bonazzi. The solution? In the past ten years, Aquafil has worked to reverse logistic and supply chain, implemented a responsible procurement process and build an industrial plant to ensure the regeneration of nylon waste.
In 2013, Aquafil launched the Healthy Seas Foundation, in collaboration with Star Sock and the NGO Ghost Diving, with the goal of tackling the ghost fishing phenomenon. Collecting waste nets and turning them into ECONYL® yarn, the programme looks to save both marine life while also providing a valuable resource for a circular economy. In 2020, Healthy Seas collected 75,000 kgs of waste nets that would otherwise be left as ocean pollution.
A decade into its mission and ECONYL® regenerated nylon has become an industry favourite for dramatically reducing a product’s environmental impact. Favoured by the likes of Stella McCartney, Gucci, Adidas and an iconic feature of our Green Carpet Fashion Awards, here are just a few ways the industry has committed to reclaiming nylon waste.