#Recycling / Circular Economy

2024-03-28

Circular Polymers by Ascend and ReDefyne experts highlight expanded application options for post-consumer recycled nylons, PET and PP

Engine covers, automotive fabrics and decking materials are among the newest applications that now can be made with recycled materials by Circular Polymers™ by Ascend, as showcased at the annual Plastics Recycling conference this week.

The company converts end-of-life carpet into fibers or pellets – including nylon 6, nylon 6,6, PET and polypropylene – for use in new applications, including high-performance engineered materials. The company also recycles calcium carbonate from carpet.

Circular Polymers will co-exhibit with its parent company, Ascend Performance Materials, in Booth 335. Ascend experts will be on-hand to discuss ReDefyne™, a line of post-consumer and post-industrial recycled compounds designed for demanding applications, such as under the hood of autos and in electric vehicles.

Today’s recycled materials can stand up to tough demands, Maria Field, Circular Polymers by Ascend’s business director, said. “Current technology, when leveraged effectively, enables cleaner, higher performing materials with reliable, scalable supply,” Field said. “At Circular Polymers, we transform landfill-bound carpet into feedstocks for materials that go into finished goods such as cars, furniture, appliances and more.”

Circular Polymers by Ascend, a leading recycler of post-consumer carpet, provides the feedstocks for ReDefyne production. It also offers recycled fibers and pellets as feedstocks for compounds and injection molding applications. Last year the company launched Cerene™, a line of recycled polymers and materials.

Ascend Performance Materials, a fully integrated producer of durable high-performance materials, is known for its innovations in nylon 6,6. Cerene continues that legacy with offerings in nylon 6,6 while also bringing to market recycled polymers such as nylon 6, PET and PP.

Circular Polymers by Ascend has redirected 85 million pounds of carpet from landfills into new goods in its California facility since 2018. Industry recognition includes the Plastic Industry Sustainability Innovation award, Innovation Showcase award from the Association of Plastic Recyclers, Arrow Award from the California Product Stewardship Council and Processor of the Year award from the Carpet America Recovery Effort.

Ascend has published its 2030 Vision, a set of nine sustainability targets including a target to reduce waste by 40% and reduce its scope 1 emissions by 90%. The company recently announced two new efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of its products.

The Plastics Recycling Conference runs March 25-27 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas. Circular Polymers by Ascend and ReDefyne experts can be found in booth 335.

Ascend Performance Materials secures court approval for restructuring and appoints new CEO

Ascend Performance Materials has reached a major milestone in its Chapter 11 process: the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas has confirmed the company’s Plan of Reorganization. Ascend expects to emerge from Chapter 11 by year’s end with a significantly improved capital structure. In parallel with the restructuring progress, Ascend announced a leadership change.

RE&UP’s Next-Gen Cotton fibers power Zalando private label t-shirt collection crafted from innovative recycled textiles

RE&UP Recycling Technologies’ Next-Gen Cotton powers a new collection from Zalando’s private labels, marking a step forward in bringing textile-to-textile recycled fibers into commercial fashion production. Launching on Zalando in August, the collection comprises five t-shirts across YOURTURN by Zalando and Even&Odd by Zalando, made from a circular-knit fabric blending 80% organic cotton with 20% RE&UP Next-Gen Cotton — textile-to-textile recycled fiber produced from textile waste. This is the first time RE&UP's recycled fibers feature in Zalando's private label assortment.

Driving circularity with Uster Recycled Fiber Matrix

The textile industry’s commitment to circularity continues to accelerate, and mechanical recycling is viewed as a targeted approach to cutting textile waste and its environmental impact. At the forefront of this drive, Uster has developed the Recycled Fiber Matrix, a two-dimensional assessment of mechanically recycled fibers to guide optimum processing and end-uses.

Novel flame-retardant and recyclable fiber-reinforced composite

Airplanes and passenger trains must meet strict safety requirements, including fire safety standards. This calls for materials that are flame-retardant, lightweight, robust, and scalable. Empa researchers, in collaboration with their industry partner Elantas, have now succeeded for the first time in making such a material – a composite – fully recyclable.

Indorama Ventures advances circular fashion through RECO Collective 2026

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a global sustainable chemical company, is taking RECO Collective into its 12th year under the theme “The Next Original,” reinforcing its mission to promote recycling and upcycling knowledge while encouraging SMEs in the fashion industry to embrace recycled materials. The program focuses particularly on recycled polyester (rPET) yarns and fabrics made from post-consumer PET bottles, using these materials to create value-added products that combine distinctive design with consumer needs and market opportunities.

Heimtextil Trends 27/28: ‘Home-Maxxing’ between performance and respite

Sleep better, recover faster, live more efficiently: the desire for optimisation has long since reached our homes. Under the title ‘Home-Maxxing – The Performance of Everyday Living’, Heimtextil Trends 27/28 show how our relationship with efficiency-driven thinking and technology is influencing the design of spaces and textiles. The more sleep, wellness, routines, materials and spaces are optimised, the stronger the desire for a home that does not demand even more of us.

Mimaki advances DTF productivity and stability with new TxF330-800

Mimaki Europe, a leading manufacturer of industrial inkjet printers and cutting plotters, announces the TxF330-800, its new direct-to-film (DTF) printer. Designed to support stable, high-quality garment decoration in demanding print environments, the system combines automated maintenance, expanded white ink capacity and advanced production capabilities to streamline workflow.

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition 2026 concludes as Asia’s premier hub for trend-led innovation

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition 2026 wrapped up on 20 August having brought the global home textiles community together in Shanghai. Over 900 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions attracted nearly 36,000 visitors from 113 represented markets to the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). This edition further strengthened the fair’s status as a strategic gateway to the wider Asian buyer market, with strongly represented regions including Greater China, Southeast Asia, and increasingly Central Asia.

ICAC’s 84th Plenary Meeting to be held March 24-26, 2027, in Alexandria, Egypt

Registration will soon be open for the International Cotton Advisory Committee’s 84th Plenary Meeting, to be held March 24-26, 2027, in Alexandria, Egypt. The local Organizing Committee in Egypt has chosen “Building a Resilient and Competitive Future for Cotton and Textiles” as the theme for the event, which will be held at the Rixos Montaza Alexandria Resort.