Voith intensifies efforts to recycle press felts in cooperation with Aquafil

Recycling is a central component of Voith Paper’s sustainability strategy and forms the basis for a more responsible paper industry.
With this in mind, the company is stepping up its activities in the area of reutilization and recycling of press felts to preserve resources, reduce waste, and cut CO2 emissions.

With the help of partners like Aquafil Spa, Voith has succeeded in an initial pilot phase in collecting used press felts from customers at the end of the product life cycle and successfully recycling them at Aquafil S.p.A through its ECONYL® regeneration process.
An initiative that aims to integrate the principles of the circular economy into the entire life cycle of pressed felts.

This is possible thanks to ECONYL® recycled polyamide granulate that significantly reduces the use of new resources.
Voith in Summerville, S.C., USA, uses this granulate to make new polyamide yarns for felt production.

A recycling process that extends to the use of production waste, yarn remnants, fibers, and edges of felt production, and re-introduces them into the material cycle. With the implementation of the concept “Design for Recycling” Voith made this possible.
Voith states that the felt materials made from 100 percent recycled material ECONYL® reduce the CO2 footprint by 80 percent compared to yarns made from virgin material,maintaining the same quality standards.

A great pilot project that sees regenerated material as progress for the future!