Here at LetsUniteFor.com we want to bring you all of the latest sustainability news and today we will discuss Econyl. You may have heard of this as another of the sustainable materials for clothing that is creating a big buzz at the moment.
What is Econyl?
If you are not sure what Econyl fabric is, it is best described as a material that has similar properties to nylon. The big difference is that Econyl is manufactured completely from waste products that have been recycled.
What are these recycled waste products? Well, think about textiles that are no longer usable such as carpets and fishing nets. These, and others are used in the manufacture of one of the most talked about sustainable fabrics. Sometimes Econyl is referred to as “green nylon” because it is similar to traditional nylon but made in a green way.
Just as nylon is a durable material, Econyl is also somewhat durable. You can use Econyl to weave it into an ethical fabric used to make clothing and it can also be used in the creation of eco-friendly textiles. After weaving Econyl, it has a stretchable quality to it which is not present in its raw state.
Being a stretchable eco-friendly fabric is certainly an advantage of Econyl, but it is not as durable as conventional nylon and it does not have the same moisture wicking qualities. Another drawback with Econyl is that it will melt if it catches fire and it is highly inflammable. The fabric can even melt if temperatures used for washing are too high.
How Econyl is Manufactured
The Econyl eco fabric is manufactured by first collecting earth polluting waste such as industrial plastics, carpet flooring, fishing nets and scraps of fabric. Manufacturers of Econyl will then clean these waste materials and recover all of the conventional nylon from them as they can.
Next there is a purification and regeneration process that takes the nylon waste and restores it back to its original state. After this process, the Econyl is processed into polymers and yarns ready for the creation of eco-friendly clothing materials and eco textiles.
When an Econyl product is of no further use it can be taken back to the first step of the regeneration process. Going through this process again enables manufacturers to create brand new Econyl products. In theory, you can go through this regeneration process with Econyl an infinite number of times making it one of the most sustainable fabrics.
The manufacture of Econyl only began in 2011 so it is a fairly new member of the environmentally friendly fabrics family. At the present time, there is just one manufacturer of Econyl which is a company called Aquafil. They have locations in Italy, China, the state of Georgia in the US and Thailand.
How Sustainable is Econyl?
On any sustainable fabrics list, Econyl deserves to be included. It is one of those environmentally friendly textiles that has eco characteristics from beginning to end. Econyl definitely complies with the vision of the fashion industry for sustainable fabrics.
The manufacture of nylon usually has a negative impact on the environment. Producing Econyl from recycled materials only drastically reduces the impact on the environment. This is highlighted by the use of fishing nets abandoned in the oceans. Recycling these helps to clean up the water and save a lot of sea creatures from certain death if they get caught up in these nets.
There are other environmental benefits with the production of Econyl. An organic compound called caprolactam is required for the Econyl manufacturing process. With each metric ton of caprolactam produced it is estimated that 7 barrels of oil are saved. A saving of 16 gigajoules of energy is saved and there is an elimination of over a metric ton of waste.
Even better than that, caprolactam production leads to the elimination of more than 4 metric tons CO2 emissions when compared to the conventional manufacture of nylon. Add to this the fact that you can recycle Econyl continuously without any degradation in quality and you have a truly excellent eco-friendly fabric.
How Econyl Differs from Nylon
During WWII there was a desire to find another fiber that could be used for parachutes as an alternative to silk. The synthetic fiber, Nylon, was invented to provide this alternative. When the war finished, traditional fabrics for dresses such as cotton and silk were in short supply so nylon was used instead and started to grow in popularity in the manufacture of garments for women.
Nylon was not perfect and there were several issues with it. To combat this, a number of manufacturers decided to mix other fabrics with nylon to create garments that were more durable.
Econyl has exactly the same properties as nylon 6. This means that it has identical characteristics to nylon used every day. You can use Econyl in the same way that you can use nylon. The Econyl material will stretch just as nylon will and you can use the sustainable fabric to produce swimwear, panty hose, sportswear and other garments.
The production process is where the main difference between Econyl and nylon lies. When nylon is manufactured there is a negative environmental impact and it leads to the creation of nitrous oxide which is a toxic greenhouse gas.
Producing nylon also requires a large amount of water to be used and there is significant energy consumption necessary to make nylon. A lot of waste is produced with nylon because it is not biodegradable. You can recycle Econyl completely.
The Future for Econyl and its Uses
What does the future hold for the most eco friendly fabric Econyl? The first thing that you need to know is that Econyl is used for the creation of garments as well as industrial textiles. Carpets and flooring are the most commonly used applications for Econyl. It is also possible to make lines and ropes with the material.
When it comes to garments, you will see Econyl used in the manufacture of items that would usually use nylon. The most common examples of these are panty hose, stockings and leggings. A lot of the larger brands are now using Econyl to manufacture underwear, swimwear and sportswear.
As the demand for environmentally friendly clothing materials increases, there is definitely an opportunity for Econyl to be used in the creation of the latest fashions. Fashion designers have a lot of scope for innovation thanks to the recyclability of Econyl. This is also true when it comes to the designers of carpets and other flooring products.
The best news is that at the moment, there are over a million tons of nylon manufactured for the carpet industry alone in the US. By using Econyl instead of nylon to create these carpets there would be a significant reduction on the impact to the environment. Econyl also has the potential to make a significant contribution to the fashion industry in the near future.