In a major environmental initiative, a new high performance nylon yarn for the carpet industry with 75% recycled content has been launched under the brand name EqoCycle.
B.I.G. Yarns, a division of Beaulieu International Group, has announced this latest development – a fully recyclable PA6 yarn with 75% recycled content, offering the same high-quality performance of virgin PA6 yarn.
The EqoCycle yarn is mainly based on post-industrial waste and is designed for contract, automotive and residential carpet manufacturers to reduce the ecological footprint of their end products.
The yarn is made with recycled granulates derived from pre-consumer recycled and regenerated PA6, certified by Control Union for Global Recycled Standard (GRS) Certification. The use of less virgin materials gives a decrease in the use of fossil fuels by 58% and a 27% decrease in energy consumption. On top of that EqoCycle yarns allow a reduction of 37% of CO₂ eq./kg compared to the fossil based yarns.
B.I.G. says that for every 1.000 tons of EqoCycle yarn, 13,562 barrels of oil are saved and 2.700 tons of CO₂ emission are reduced, compared to PA6 traditionally made from virgin materials.
Emmanuel Colchen, General Manager Yarns Division, comments: “EqoCycle is a perfect example of how higher resource efficiency in our industry can promote greater circularity in our customers’ industries. Minimizing waste, re-using materials, and saving energy and carbon emissions in production.
"It provides our customers and carpet brands with a new sustainable alternative that won’t compromise their end-product performance but will support their increasing focus on CO₂ reduction and global warming potential. All part of our wider commitment to encourage decoupling from the need for only virgin feedstocks and moving towards a circular economy for yarns and soft flooring industries,” he said.