Newlife’s Eco Initiative: Recycled Polyester From Italy
NEW YORK—The exhibitor lineup at the recent Première Vision Preview show included Italian polyester fiber maker Filatura di Saluzzo (formerly called Filature Miroglio) showcasing its newest product: Newlife, a recycled polyester yarn made from post-consumer plastic bottles.
There were two gowns on display in front of the booth—both worn by Livia Firth, wife of actor Colin Firth, at last year’s Golden Globes and Academy Awards. Both gowns, designed by Giorgio Armani and Valentino, featured Newlife fibers.
Launched for the European market in February, Newlife is made using a mechanical process in which plastic bottles are broken down into flakes and then melted before being turned into a polymer to be made into fiber. The entire process is done in Italy in partnership with two companies, Demap, which collects the bottles, and Dentis, which converts the material to a polymer for Filatura di Saluzzo.
The company is currently working with more than 50 weavers in Europe, said Giusy Bettoni of GBNetwork srl, which set up the Eco-Innovation Library at Première Vision Preview to demonstrate the benefits and possibilities of Newlife.
Newlife comes in partially oriented, drawn, texturized, microfiber and hollow-filament yarns in counts from 25 denier to 2,000 denier. The fiber can be produced to be UV resistant, sun-protective, antibacterial and quick drying, as well as to have thermal- and moisture-management properties. Newlife has applications in fashion, lingerie, workwear and sportswear, as well as for labels and trim. Filatura di Saluzzo is also targeting the automotive and home décor markets.
According to Filatura di Saluzzo, Newlife processing saves 94 percent water, 60 percent energy and 30 percent CO2 emissions over traditional polyester. Newlife is certified by Oeko-Tex, Control Union’s Global Recycle Standard, and Psv, an Italian certification company for recycled plastics. The company recently received the Life Cycle Assessment study by the Istituto per la Certification, an Italian firm that certifies companies’ social-responsibilities policies. Newlife production is fully traceable, and Filatura di Saluzzo is currently looking into shifting to cradle-to-cradle production, Bettoni said.
“You have the possibility to do so many things to innovate in a responsible way,” she said.
For more information, visit www.newlifeyarns.com. —Alison A. Nieder
