BASF has started up what it says is the world’s first commercial plant producing a material called loopamid, a recycled polyamide 6 which is based on textile waste feedstock.
Polyamide 6, commonly known as nylon, is the base for a many textiles, including functional apparel, outdoor and sportswear.
Located at BASF’s production site in Caojing, Shanghai, China, the loopamid production facility has a capacity of 500 tonnes per year and supports the growing demand for sustainable polyamide 6 fibres in the textile industry, the company says. The characteristics of loopamid are identical to those of conventional virgin polyamide.
BASF added that the plant, as well as its product, are certified according to the Global Recycled Standard, which guarantees consumers and textile manufacturers that loopamid is made from recycled materials and that the recycled materials and production processes comply with specific environmental and social criteria.
“The technology behind loopamid allows textile-to-textile recycling for polyamide 6 in a wide variety of fabric blends, including those with elastane. I am convinced that loopamid not only makes a significant contribution to the textile circular economy, but also helps our customers achieve their sustainability goals,” said Ramkumar Dhruva, president of BASF’s Monomers Division.
This development at BASF marks a step forward in dealing with waste textiles which often present a challenge as most materials contain a mix of different fibres as well as a range of dyes and in some cases coatings and other additives.
The loopamid textile has already been put through its paces by BASF and Inditex, the owner of fashion retailer Zara, who turned the material into jacket which went on sale in the high-street fashion chain last year. Following a “design for recycling” approach, all parts of the garment were made from loopamid, with companies including YKK and Velcro using the loopamid polymer to create plastic components for zippers and snap buttons, and hook and loop fasteners, while other companies used it to develop garment components such as inner labels, filling materials and sewing threads.
BASF says that the loopamid production plant currently uses industrial textile waste from textile production, but the company will gradually increase the share of post-consumer waste. This will include cutting scraps, defective cuts and offcuts. End-of-life garments made from polyamide 6 and other textile products can also be used to produce loopamid.
BASF has said that by 2030, it aims to double its sales generated with solutions for the circular economy to €17 billion. To achieve this, the company is concentrating on three action areas: circular feedstocks, new material cycles and new business models.
A briefing from the European Environment Agency has set out the challenge related to dealing with textile waste which indicates during 2022 the average EU citizen bought 19kg of clothing, footwear and household textiles - up from 17kg in 2019. The briefing, Circularity of the EU textiles value chain in numbers, was released ahead of International Day of Zero Waste, which was held on 30 March.
Further reading:
• Could this be the route from plastic bag to T-shirt?
• A rare example of closed-loop chemical recycling
• Ineos Inovyn pilot plants to tackle previously unrecyclable PVC
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