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Aquafil publishes 2018 Sustainability Report

According to Aquafil’s 2018 Sustainability Report, greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 30% since 2016.

16th August 2019

Innovation in Textiles
 |  Cartersville, GA

Sustainable, Clothing/​Footwear

Thanks to the Econyl Regeneration System it is possible to obtain new nylon yarn from discarded resources. © Aquafil

Aquafil, a leading Italy-based specialist in the production of Polyamide 6 (nylon 6), has released its latest Sustainability Report. For over a decade, Aquafil has used the Sustainability Report to showcase the company’s commitment to doing business responsibly. The report discloses the Group’s commitment to sustainability and the results that Aquafil has achieved in helping to support and protect employees, local communities, and the environment. 

According to Aquafil’s 2018 Sustainability Report, greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 30% since 2016, and operations run on 100% renewable energy.

Rethinking products

For more than 30 years Aquafil has placed the circular economy as a core value of the company’s business strategy. To save resources, give new life to otherwise lost materials, increase efficiency along the value chain. Through its goals, step by step the company is positioning the Group as a leader, both nationally and internationally.

Last year saw a start of the European project Effective, aimed at the development of nylon and other textile fibre from biomaterials. The company opened the US Aquafil Carpet Recycling plant, aimed at the recycling of old carpets. The recovered materials find different uses: the nylon fraction is regenerated in the Econyl process, while the others are used in other industrial sectors.

Thanks to the Econyl Regeneration System it is possible to obtain new nylon yarn from discarded resources, such as end of life fishnets and other waste materials that would otherwise go to landfill. “Our system also allows us to reduce GHG emissions from the caprolactam, the raw material used to produce nylon yarn.”

Protecting environment

Aquafil is committed to protecting the environment throughout the entire supply chain. “We have specific initiatives in place designed to reduce the environmental impacts of our processes, through energy recovery,” the company continues. “For example, AquafilSLO transfers our excess thermal energy to Atlantis water park, where it is used to heat their water, thus minimising energy wastage for both companies.”

Aquafil obtains new nylon yarn from discarded resources, such as end of life fishnets. © Aquafil

Aquafil obtains new nylon yarn from discarded resources, such as end of life fishnets. © Aquafil

The company also endorses the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and uses them as a guide to determine our sustainability goals and objectives. “This provides us with a framework to measure and track our progress, and globally communicate about a model for sustainable development,” the manufacturer says. In 2018, Aquafil contributed to the achievement of eight SDGs through its sustainability improvements.

Aquafil and sustainability

Aquafil and Sustainability is the story of what we do every day to contribute to sustainable development. We have chosen to report here only the most relevant information: the pillars on which we base our sustainability path, which we called Eco Pledge, and some of the main results achieved in 2018. At the end of each paragraph you will find the link to the more detailed information in the non-financial disclosure,” said Giulio Bonazzi, President of Aquafil.

From this year on, the sustainability report forms an integral part of the non-financial disclosure included in the annual consolidated financial statements as established by the Italian Legislative Decree n. 254/2016, and summarises all the commitments Aquafil has made to support and safeguard its employees, local communities, the environment in which it operates and the planet as a whole.

www.econyl.com

www.aquafil.com

Access the full report here

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