ECONYL® recycled nylon is a product of Italian company Aquafil, which specializes in the production of polyamide. It is entirely made from reprocessed nylon scraps found in oceans and landfills, such as post-industrial fabric scraps, carpeting, and ghost nets.
The Healthy Seas foundation and ghost fishing
Fishing nets are one of the main sources for ECONYL® recycled nylon. Aquafil Group works closely with the fishing industry and has seen first-hand the devastating effects that ghost nets have on the environment. That's why Aquafil created Healthy Seas in 2013 to remove waste that endangers marine ecosystems from our seas and oceans. Ghost nets and other litter are collected by volunteer divers from the non-profit Ghost Diving. The waste is then cleaned, sorted, and sent to reprocessing plants7.
The regeneration and scrap purification process produces ECONYL® recycled nylon, which has the same quality and strength as virgin nylon derived directly from oil extraction.
For every ton of ECONYL® recycled nylon produced, 7 barrels of oil are saved and 5.7 metric tons of CO2 emissions are avoided. Choosing ECONYL® nylon reduces the overall environmental impact by an estimated 80% compared to conventional nylon8.