BASF, a global chemical manufacturer, and Inditex, the parent company of Zara, have jointly announced a breakthrough in their efforts to enhance recyclability in the textile industry. The companies have introduced loopamid®, a groundbreaking polyamide 6 (PA6) made from 100 per cent textile waste. This marks the first-ever circular solution for nylon apparel produced entirely from textile waste.
Zara has already utilised Loopamid in the creation of a jacket made exclusively from the material, which is now available worldwide. Employing a “design for recycling” approach, every component of the garment, including fabrics, buttons, filling, hook and loop, and zipper, is made from loopamid. The cutting-edge technology behind loopamid allows for textile-to-textile recycling of post-industrial and post-consumer textile waste, with the fibres and materials being recyclable over multiple cycles.
Dr. Ramkumar Dhruva, President of BASF’s Monomers division, noted that loopamid has the potential to revolutionise the PA6 market and represents a significant step towards circularity in the fashion industry. BASF and Inditex have collaborated with other prominent industry players, such as RadiciGroup, YKK, and the Velcro companies, to integrate loopamid into various garment components, ensuring a seamless adoption of sustainable material.
Inditex’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Javier Losada, emphasised the importance of collaboration and innovation in driving the industry towards greater responsibility. He also highlighted the need for expanding collecting and recycling capacities to close the loop and scale recycling for post-consumer waste.
Both BASF and Inditex are committed to ambitious sustainability goals. By 2030, BASF aims to double its sales generated with circular economy solutions to €17 billion. Inditex, on the other hand, strives to have its textile products made exclusively from materials with a smaller environmental footprint by 2030.
Polyamide 6, commonly known as nylon 6, is a widely used synthetic polymer with excellent mechanical properties. BASF is a leading manufacturer of polyamide six and its precursors, with production sites spread across Europe, Asia, and North America.
