• Who we are
    • The Group
    • History
    • Locations
    • Sales network
    • Back
  • What we do
    • Carpet yarn
    • Textile yarn
    • Polymers
    • Engineering
    • Back
  • Sustainability
    • Our values
    • ESG & Agenda 2030
    • Environment
    • Social
    • Governance
    • Reports & Policies
    • Certifications
    • Back
  • Innovation
    • Projects
    • Collaboration
    • Case Studies
    • Back
  • Magazine
    • Circular economy
    • ECONYL® brand
    • Operations
    • News
    • Events
    • Press
    • Back
Investors
  • Contacts
  • Careers
  • Investors
  • en
    • it
    • de
    • Back
  • Homepage
  • Magazine
  • Better recycling through chemistry
01.02.2019

Better recycling through chemistry

February 1, 2019

GREENBIZ – RP Siegel

While it’s true that any type of recycling reduces the need for fossil fuels and reduces the amount of waste that continues to taint our landscapes and our oceans, not all recycling is the same.

Looking specifically at plastics, most plastics are recycled mechanically, which means they are shredded and then melted and pelletized so that they can be reused as recycled plastic.

While this is a relatively simple and inexpensive approach, it introduces a number of compromises and is technically considered downcycling, because there is a loss of quality each time the material is processed. This means that there are a finite number of times the material can be recycled.

(…)

With depolymerization, you break the plastic down to its original chemical building blocks known as monomers, which can be used to make new plastic that is virtually identical to the virgin feedstock that had come from fossil fuels.

(…)

The Italian company Aquafil, a leading global producer of nylon yarns for carpeting and apparel, developed its Econyl fiber back in 2011. This is 100 percent recycled nylon that is processed back to its base monomer caprolactam. Aquafil has a dedicated facility in Slovenia that performs this operation. While the original feedstock supply came from post-industrial waste, such as mill waste, the company later made a splash by initiating a program to retrieve discarded nylon fishing nets from the ocean and turning them back into virgin nylon.

…

Read more

Share

The Next Evolution in Circularity Must Address Microplastics
23.06.2025
The Next Evolution in Circularity Must Address Microplastics
They may be invisible to the naked eye, but microplastics are becoming hard to ignore. Namely, because they’re everywhere—from the ocean to our soil, air, and, yes, even our bodies. …
Aquafil to feature its new Bespoke yarn Collection and work by Parsons School of Design Textile Program students during Design Week in Chicago
03.06.2025
Aquafil to feature its new Bespoke yarn Collection and work by Parsons School of Design Textile Program students during Design Week in Chicago
June highlights: Aquafil at CSIE Miami, Design Shanghai, and Neocon – Chicago
03.06.2025
June highlights: Aquafil at CSIE Miami, Design Shanghai, and Neocon – Chicago
2024 Sustainability Report: Smart Investments and a Commitment to Innovation
21.05.2025
2024 Sustainability Report: Smart Investments and a Commitment to Innovation
Parsons School Of Design brings United Nations migration data to life through textiles crafted with ECONYL® regenerated nylon
12.05.2025
Parsons School Of Design brings United Nations migration data to life through textiles crafted with ECONYL® regenerated nylon
Read all
  • Company
    • The Group
    • History
    • Locations
    • Sales network
  • Products
    • Carpet yarn
    • Textile yarn
    • Polymers
    • Engineering
  • Sustainability
    • Our values
    • ESG & Agenda 2030
    • Environment
    • Social
    • Governance
    • Reports & Policies
    • Certifications
  • Innovation
    • Projects
    • Collaboration
    • Case Studies
  • Investor
    • Investor relations
    • Corporate Governance
©2022 Aquafil S.p.A. - P.IVA 09652170961

Privacy - Cookie Policy - Code of conduct - Whistleblowing - Company info
Sales Terms and Conditions - EU rules on packaging labelling - Terms and Conditions of use
Investor Relations - Corporate Governance