Selecting the right carpet on a project is critical, whether the statement you're making is big and bold, or calm and subtle. But what does the carpet say about your commitment to a better world? To find that, we go beyond the patterns and colors and listen to the fibers themselves.
One great new story on the market is AltoChroma. It's made from Aquafil's unique ECONYL polymer, which the company says is the world's first and only 100 percent sustainable fiber. But what does that really mean? Here's how it all breaks down:
the year Aquafil plans to have
ECONYL fibers made from 100
percent post-consumer Potentially Acid Generating (PAG)
waste. (Right now it's over 50 percent.)
the number of times nylon 6 carpet fibers can
be "closed loop" recycled back into new nylon 6, compared to nylon 6.6, which can't be efficiently recycled
without degradation.
tons of waste diverted from landfills, incinerators, and down-cycling for ECONYL production each year.
tons of fishing equipment such as nylon nets and lines cast away by commercial fisherman every year. Aquafil purchases these discarded nets, reclaims the nylon, and turns it into new carpet fiber.
tons of CO2 equivalent emissions avoided each year.
The amount of waste removed from the environment and used for the production of ECONYL products is greater than the amount of waste resulting from the production process.
the number of bleach-resistant colors available
for AltoChroma.
Look out for the rest of the ECONYL
story in our June issue, featuring a
special insert from Aquafil.
