THE NEW
ECO-FRONTIER:
ACCELERATED BIODEGRADABILITY
Synthetic fabrics
Natural fabrics like cotton, wool or hemp decompose naturally in a few years, releasing valuable nutrients into the ground, but what happens to synthetic fabrics?
These represent most of the fabrics used today, almost 70% of the clothing industry. Among synthetics, polyester and polyamide – for example – have one thing in common: they biodegrade in over 200 years, creating a huge amount of textile waste.
Synthetic fabrics
Synthetic fabrics (nylon and polyester) represent the majority of fabrics used for textile purposes, of which 70% are destined to the clothing sector. These oil-based products have one thing in common: they biodegrade in over 200 years, resulting in overcrowded landfills following their disposal
Sustek Project
With the SUSTEK project, we have decided to change the way we think about biodegradability. Through the careful selection of innovative yarns, we have created a collection of synthetic fabrics that decompose by more than 90% in less than 5 years (ASTM D5511)
How it works
In an anaerobic landfill – in the absence of light and oxygen – Sustek fabrics activate certain microorganisms capable of “ingesting” the polymer making up the fabric, thus greatly speeding up its decomposition. This is due to the innovative composition of the yarns with which they are produced
The issue of overcrowding landfills due to enormous amounts of textile waste is extremely topical and worrying. The world is producing, consuming and throwing away more clothes than ever before. And while natural fabrics (such as cotton, wool or hemp) naturally decompose in a couple of years – releasing valuable nutrients into the soil – synthetic fabrics take decades to decompose. That’s why we fully endorsed Sustek, our collection of accelerated biodegradability fabrics.
Through the use of special additives contained in the yarn, these fabrics decompose much faster than ordinary synthetic fibres, without producing toxic substances during the degradation process, thus ensuring a reduced impact on the environment while decreasing pollution and overcrowding in landfills.
