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Turning marine waste into textiles |
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12 Nov 2013, 7:09 PM
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A producer of carpet tiles is participating in the ‘Healthy Seas, a Journey from Waste to Wear’ programme - a new initiative designed to address the growing environmental problem of marine waste. Interface is the first flooring company to participate in this world-wide scheme.
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An illustration of some of the uses for the recycled fibre textiles
The programme was founded by yarn manufacturer Aquafil, conservation group ECNC Land & Sea Group, and Dutch manufacturer Star Stock, and has been adopted by the company as part of it's long-term ‘Mission Zero’ sustainability goal.
The issue of marine waste is vast. According to a report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), there are approximately 640,000 tons of abandoned fishing nets in the oceans, accounting for one-tenth of all marine litter. These discarded nets can remain in the sea for centuries continuing to catch or injure marine life (known as ghost fishing). The Healthy Seas initiative aims to provide a solution by bringing together businesses, NGOs, divers, fishermen and other stakeholders to recover the fishing nets and recycle them into ECONYL® yarn that can be used for a wide range of textile products, including carpets, swimwear, underwear, high-tech clothing and sportswear.
Commenting on their participation in Healthy Seas, VP & Chief Innovations Officer Nigel Stansfield said, “Interface is delighted to be involved in the Healthy Seas initiative as it works to help tackle the growing environmental problem of marine debris on an industry-wide scale. We are strong advocates of scavenging waste from one industry for use in another, and see this as a natural extension of the work we are already doing within our own business to convert waste into valuable raw materials for new products. We are proud to be doing something that we feel strongly about for the good of the wider textiles industry and, crucially, for the good of the environment.”
Other waste-to-value initiatives the company is working on include the like-for-like recycling of old carpet tiles into new carpet products through its breakthrough ReEntry™ 2.0 process, and the creation of a community-based supply chain for discarded fishing nets in partnership with The Zoological Society of London. Called Net-Works™, this innovative project delivers socio-economic benefits in poor coastal communities while providing recycled content for new Interface carpet tiles.
The Healthy Seas initiative will commence with a series of pilots in Europe. A pilot is already underway in the North Sea where more than 20 tons of nets have been collected so far. The next phase of activity will recover and recycle nets from the Adriatic Sea (Italy, Slovenia and Croatia) and the Mediterranean Sea (Spain). An education programme is also planned to discourage fishers from abandoning their nets and to promote responsible disposal of used nets.
Interface made a pledge in the mid-nineties to eliminate its impact on the environment by 2020. Known as Mission Zero®, it influences every aspect of the business and inspires the company to continually push the boundaries in order to achieve its goal. The company is now more than half way to reaching Mission Zero and has been widely recognised for its achievements to date. Its products have also achieved several awards specifically for design and innovation, the most recent being The Athenaeum Good Design Award for Fotosfera. www.interfaceflor.co.uk
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