Waste and Recycling

One of the main charges problems with man-made fibers is that they are not biodegradable. They persist in the environment when they become waste.

INVISTA Nylon production sites recycle their waste nylon. It is re-melted and is used in a variety of applications as an engineering plastic. A huge range of items, from curtain hooks to car components, contain nylon which did not meet INVISTA's exacting standards for TACTEL® yarn. Currently incineration, with reclaimation of the energy, is the best method of disposal. Much of the energy locked in those big molecules at the production stage can be put back to good use. As a fuel, then Nylon waste has a higer calorific value than coal!

The possibility exists to break the nylon down, back to its component parts. These could then be fed back into the manufacturing process right at the start without any detremental effect on polymer quality. This process is possible now, and a pilot scale plant is already in operation, but the large scale recycling of waste garments will require major changes in the methods by which such wastes are collected and sorted.

All of this goes to show that, when viewed over the life cycle of a fiber, and taking into account the whole range of environmental impact, "Man made" TACTEL® fiber from INVISTA can be just as environmentally friendly as "natural" fibres.