Martex, Bollag Team Up to Recycle and Reuse
Two East Coast textile mills are joining forces to expand their textile recycling offerings in the United States and Central America.
Martex Fiber, based in Spartanberg, S.C., and Bollag International Corp., based in Charlotte, N.C., hope to realize economies of scale as they team up to collect and process textile waste products, according to a statement released by the two companies.
“The world is changing, and our vendors and clients are looking at how they can become more eco-friendly—recycle all their textile waste grades and also utilize components and supplies made from recycled materials,” said Jimmy Jarrett, co-founder and president of Martex Fiber.
The two companies together collect, process and recycle more than 175 million pounds of new textile waste each year.
Martex Fiber has been collecting textile waste and processing it into baled soft fiber that is used as fill, in pads and in the making of non-woven and paper products. The recycled fiber produced by the nearly 30-year-old company is used in LEED-certified green building materials, as well as non-woven wipes.
Recycled textiles are also used by Martex’s Jimtex Yarns subsidiary. The Lincolnton, Ga.–based company produces open-end spun yarns made predominantly from recycled, pre-consumer cutting waste.
Bollag was originally founded in 1933 in Switzerland but now is based in North Carolina. The company collects and sells textile fibers and byproducts for use in yarn spinning, non-woven fabric and pad production, and other industrial applications. Bollag—which has facilities in North America, Mexico and Central America—collects cotton, polyester, acrylic, wool and nylon for distribution worldwide.
The company’s Intex D.I.Y. Inc. subsidiary also produces wiping rags made from remnants from cut-and-sew factories for the cleaning, painting, home-improvement and automotive industries.
“Combined, we’ll have greater capabilities than virtually anyone in this hemisphere to recycle all types of waste streams, thanks to our diversified sales outlets, our longevity, and the scope and breadth of both our collection operations,” said Mitchel Bollag, president of Bollag International. “Our main value to our suppliers will be the use of local Bollag operations and the company’s great ability to sort and grade textile byproducts. Martex Fibers expands our capability by adding their ability to process the materials into useful eco-friendly end products and yarn.”
More information is available at www.martexfibers.com, www.bollagnet.com, www.intexsupply.com, www.jimtexyarns.com and www.eco2cotton.com. —Alison A. Nieder
