Italy’s RadiciGroup has introduced a low environmental impact version of its Radyarn polyester yarns. R-Radyarn is said to be a low environmental impact product made from 100% post-consumer recycled PET bottles.

According to RadiciGroup, r-Radyarn is an eco-sustainable yarn ideal for applications in the technical sportswear and medical sectors. What is more, RadiciGroupsays, r-Radyarn is a safe product, the result of a multi-stage process – from post-consumer bottle collection to reprocessing and yarn production – all taking place in Europe and monitored at every step.

“There is so much talk about the green revolution and it affects us directly,” says Roberto Parenzan, RadiciGroup Polyester Area R&D manager.

“Sustainability concerns so many of our target sectors, from technical sportswear to intimate wear and automotive, to mention just a few. Now the players involved must set forth goals that are clearer, more concrete and more tangible. “

“The r-Radyarn range,” Mr. Parenzan continued, “represents a concrete example of our commitment to increasing the lifecycle of raw materials, reducing energy consumption and lowering CO2 emissions, as well as safeguarding the health and safety of people. The latter issue has recently been the centre of attention of the world of sport, football, in particular. Indeed, during the last few weeks, the European Consumers’ Organization (BEUC), after an investigation, warned against the presence of toxic substances, dangerous to the health, in the shirts of some teams participating in the 2012 European Football Championship.”

“The results of the investigation, once again in the strongest terms, stressed the need for sportswear producers to have reliable suppliers. Our Group has developed the r-Radyarn range so it can offer its customers sustainability, high performance and safety. In creating r-Radyarn we have turned plastic waste into a resource and a new raw material that finds its application in sportswear with a smaller measurable environmental footprint, maximum comfort, freshness, breathability, colour solidity and thermoregulation.”

“Sustainable, high-performance garments that are, above all, safe. Our Oeko-Tex certified yarns are free of heavy metals and other toxic substances and can be confidently used to manufacture garments with guaranteed safety, “Mr Parenzan concluded.

Options

The r-Radyarn range is available in a variety of counts, colours and lustres, and in three different versions: textured, interlaced and taslan (POY and drawn versions of this eco-compatible yarn are sold under the r-Starlight brand name).

r-Radyarn also comes in several cross-sections: standard (round and trilobal) and special (multi-lobal, channel and hollow trilobal).

“For higher environmental sustainability, these yarns are also available in solution-dyed versions. Besides utilizing recycled raw materials, solution-dyed r-Radyarn ensures a considerable savings in both water and energy consumption, in addition to lower waste treatment costs,” RadiciGroup says.

r-Radyarn producer Noyfil SA and Noyfil SpA – two RadiciGroup companies ranking among the European leaders in the manufacture of a wide range of polyester yarns, are known for their production flexibility. This means, the company says, r-Radyarn can be made to customer specifications, including colour, and even in small lots (minimum quantity: 200 kg).

RadiciGroup also provides a custom-tailored sampling system and r-Radyarn also comes in bacteriostatic and anti-UV versions.

Applications

Some of the applications cited for RdiciGroup r-Radyarn are:

Apparel (sport, fashion, intimatewear, hosiery)

Automotive (seats, upholstery, liners)

Technical / industrial (coverings, filters, netting, ropes)

Medical (bacteriostatic fabrics, elastic bandages, body contouring items/support hose)

Furnishings (curtains, linings, wall coverings/upholstery)