The Lycra Company announced its first performance offerings in collaboration with Itochu Corporation, the Coolmax and Thermolite EcoMade fibers, made from 100% textile waste.
This is the first of several projects that The Lycra Company is working on in textile and garment recycling. Laying the groundwork for a more circular future is one of the key objectives of The Lycra Company’s Planet Agenda Sustainability platform. Coolmax and Thermolite fibers are made from recycled raw materials such as recycled PET bottles. A depolymerization and refining process is used to convert textile waste, which consists of scraps from garment manufacturers, into fibers with properties comparable to virgin polyester. The new fibers are available in filament and staple forms, suitable for common textile processes and insulations batting uses. The company will continue to offer these products in parallel with those made from textile waste.
These new products can be purchased from The Lycra Company, except in Japan where Itochu will be responsible for sales and marketing. A variety of mills have access to the new offerings and will shortly begin to develop fabrics with them.
Sources: thelycracompany.com and itochu.co.jp
