MSYG is now offering polyester yarns processed with CiCLO technology, which allows polyester fibres to break down in landfills and the ocean at rates comparable to a natural fibre like wool, the company claims.
Polyester is possibly the world’s favourite fibre when it comes to manufacturing performance wear and other apparel. Polyester is durable, can be engineered to provide multiple performance characteristics, wears well, is in good supply and designers love it. But polyester and other synthetic fibres can also contribute to land and ocean pollution. That is about to change, says Meridian Specialty Yarn Group, Inc. (MSYG).
MSYG is currently introducing yarns with CiCLO technology to hosiery markets, initially for performance and hiking socks. Yarns with CiCLO technology are also available to manufacturers of medical PPE for use making medical gowns, lab coats, medical setting curtains and other medical textiles typically made from polyester.
“Meridian’s new yarns with CiCLO technology can be treated with antimicrobials proven effective at reducing exposure to viral infections and have the same beauty, wear-ability, durability, functionality, and performance characteristics consumers expect from polyester,” the company says. “At the same time, when thrown away, CiCLO yarns reduce the persistence of synthetic textile accumulation in landfills and synthetic fibre fragments in the ocean.”
The yarn is being processed in the United States in MSYG’s new manufacturing plant in Valdese, North Carolina. The facility, which opened in July 2019, is said to be the most modern and up to date dyehouse in the US and equal to, or better than, any other yarn dyeing operation worldwide.
“The result is a high quality polyester yarn with all of the performance and PPE characteristics brands, consumers and front line medical professionals rely on, but with a verifiable sustainability story and reduced environmental impact,” MSYG says.
“This represents a breakthrough for the performance apparel and hosiery industries, which have been looking for sustainable alternatives to traditional synthetic fabrics,” said Tim Manson, president of MSYG.
“Fabrics made from yarns with CiCLO technology can be treated to have the same performance characteristics as the synthetic fibres and yarns now widely used in performance apparel, including outdoor hiking and running socks.” The end uses for these yarns include home furnishings, hosiery, industrial, craft and apparel.
The chemistry used to create CiCLO fibres is ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX certified, and Intrinsic Advanced Materials is a member of both the Textile Exchange and the Outdoor Industry Association.
Extensive testing by reliable third-party laboratories over several years has proven that CiCLO technology fibres and yarns are effective at reducing synthetic fibre accumulation in landfills and microfiber pollution in the oceans, MSYG concludes.
Industry, K. (2020, June 16). Retrieved from https://www.knittingindustry.com/making-polyester-ecofriendly-with-ciclo-additive-technology/
