01.03.11
Colbond has teamed up with Aquafil, a European market leader in carpet yarn manufacturing, textile yarn production and polymer engineering, to create an environmentally friendly range of carpet backings. In a newly created strategic partnership, Colbond will use Aquafil’s Econyl, post-industrial and post-consumer recycled polyamide-6, to make nonwovens for carpet backings. A substantial and growing part of Econyl is generated from carpet waste.
Aquafil is a pioneer in the recycling of polyamide-6 waste and has invested significant funds in the development of dedicated industrial plants. With its Econyl process, the company has closed the loop of carpet waste recovery by using carpet yarn as the primary raw material for polyamide and finished BCF (bulked continuous filament) yarn.
Colbond launched the industry’s first nonwoven carpet backing made of post-consumer recycled polyester in 2007 and is continually seeking new opportunities to further improve the sustainability of its processes and products. The backings made from Aquafil’s Econyl process will be branded Colback Green and will comprise bi-component filaments with a post-consumer recycled bottle scrap PET core and an Econyl rPA-6 skin.
“By sourcing polyamide produced in Aquafil’s innovative Econyl process, we can now produce a 100% sustainable Colback primary backing." said Harry Verbakel, director of sales and marketing at Colbond. “And by using rPA-6, derived from carpet waste, in the production of carpet yarn and carpet backings, the first recycling loop has been created for the face side of carpet tiles and broadloom carpet.”
“This is an enormous step forward in reducing the carbon footprint of the carpet industry,” said Bruno Torresani, managing director of Aquafil BCF. “Aquafil and Colbond are joining forces to reduce the consumption of crude oil-based raw materials whilst also helping to solve a significant part of the industry’s waste concerns.”