Recycled Nylon
We use recycled nylon made from postindustrial waste fiber, discarded carpeting and postconsumer fishing nets.
Why
When we need a lightweight fabric that can perform, we look to nylon, one of the strongest plastics we use to build our products. But nylon is a petroleum-based material, and producing it has a high cost in energy and greenhouse gases. Incorporating as much recycled nylon as we can decreases our dependence on virgin petroleum as a raw material source, helps divert discarded material and reduces greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing. Using recycled nylon also promotes new recycling streams for nylon products that are no longer functional.
We’re making progress
The percentage of nylon fabric we used this season that contains recycled nylon.
Where We Are
To meet our goal of moving completely from using virgin content to recycled content, we need recycled nylon to continue making some of our favorite technical jackets and garments—and to maintain our performance standards.
We began using ECONYL® fiber, a nylon yarn made from a 50/50 blend of postconsumer and pre-consumer nylon waste. The postconsumer materials come from products like fishing nets and discarded carpeting that have been bought, used in the world and then trashed. Pre-consumer waste material includes items like industrial plastic that would have otherwise been downcycled, downgraded or sent to a landfill. To create this fiber, ECONYL utilizes its Regeneration System to bring the nylon waste back to its original chemical state, so the recycled yarn has the same characteristics as standard nylon produced from virgin raw material.
Most mechanically recycled materials are melted at high temperatures; this process destroys contaminants and transforms the material into a reusable form. However, nylon melts at a much lower temperature, leaving contaminants behind. As a result, it must be thoroughly cleaned before being recycled. Good sources of clean postconsumer nylon are difficult to find, but we are working closely with recycling partners to ensure the recycled nylon we use is pure and still rooted in performance.
For the Spring 2023 season, 89% of the nylon fabric we used to make clothing and gear contains recycled nylon. Our use of recycled nylon fabrics this season reduced CO₂ emissions by more than 6.2 million pounds compared to virgin nylon.
What’s Next
We’re using more postconsumer recycled nylon in our gear and we’re also exploring other options to replace nylon entirely, such as materials made from plant-based alternatives, that will help curb the CO₂ emissions associated with material creation.
