MUNICH — April 27, 2017 — Biodegradability is an increasingly important element in respect of fashion sustainability, and more specifically of functional textiles.
This topic will be the focus of one of the main workshops at this year’s edition of the Performance Days in Munich, the benchmarking exhibition for innovations and trends in the area of functional fabrics.
This discussion will be chaired by the independent journalist Sophie Bramel, Consultant Technical Editor for World Sports Activewear (WSA). The panelists include Daniela Antunes, business development manager at Solvay; Christin Glöckner, team leader R&D of the Hohenstein Institute; Sarah King, director business development at Smartfiber; and Matthias Böhme, sales manager at Lavalan.
The question that will be posed during the round table is “To biodegrade or not?”; Daniela Antunes gives an affirmative answer, quoting as virtuous example Amni Soul Eco®, the innovative yarn developed by Solvay specifically with regard to the issue of textile waste and to pave the way for sustainability pure and simple.
“Every year more than one billion garments are thrown away, thus contributing to landfilling and pollution of the planet caused by waste,” said Antunes. “For this reason at Solvay we have decided to produce a material which is eco-friendly every step of the way, as well as being highly performing, not only while it is used but also when it is discarded.” Having already pioneered the distant infrared ray technology with Emana®, the yarn that uses body heat to care for the skin, after several years of research the Solvay group has now designed Amni Soul Eco which, thanks to an enhanced polyamide 6.6 formula, takes less than three years to biodegrade, unlike most synthetic fibers, which makes it possible to manufacture garments which decompose rapidly.
This added value complements all the functional advantages of polyamide 6.6. “Amni Soul Eco has a green heart which goes together with its high performance in terms of quality, durability, comfort, breathability, easy washing and fast drying which are typical of traditional polyamide yarns,” explained Antunes.
The biodegradability properties of Amni Soul Eco, in actual fact, influence not only the product’s shelf life because they become apparent only under specific landfilling conditions where there is no oxygen and where bacteria specializing in anaerobic decomposition are found.
This means that the environmental impact is drastically reduced, as is the amount of waste left to future generations.
From an all-round sustainability perspective, moreover, Amni Soul Eco is also 100-percent recyclable and reusable, as well as being produced with environment-friendly processes and Oeko-Tex® certified (standard 100, class 1).
In Europe, Amni Soul Eco is manufactured and distributed by FULGAR, which has recently received a positive evaluation of its products and production process, through the Environmental Impact Assessment (LCA) – Life Cycle Assessment.
The decision to choose Fulgar is an important example of Solvay’s effort for a responsible development strategy.
Amni Soul Eco thus launches a strong signal to the industry; it’s a unique opportunity to safeguard the environment and be on the cutting edge in the era of discerning consumption and eco-fashion.
Posted April 27, 2017
Source: Solvay