Among its many environmental impacts, it is estimated that the fashion industry uses about 10 percent of the water used by industry worldwide. While some companies are tackling the negative impacts of the global fashion industry with the types of raw materials they use, and others are trying to overhaul one or more stages of the textile manufacturing process, Seattle-based Evrnu is creating systemic change. The company recently launched what it says is the world’s first high-performance recycling lyocell Material made from 100 percent textile waste.
Evrnu’s mission dates back to when its co-founder, Stacy Flynn, spent a month in China, where she noticed the impact of toxic sewage from textile factories on local communities. Founded by Flynn and Christopher Stanev, both former employees of well-known textile companies, Evrnu aims to tackle textile waste and pollution at large. With its textile technology system nucyclethe company says it can only make its NuCycl r lyocell fabric with Cotton textile waste as starting material.
The company’s manufacturing process begins with the sorting of textile waste, which is then shredded and finally cleaned. The recycled textile pulp is then converted into a highly durable “R-Lyocell” fiber through a closed-loop process. The final fiber, says Evrnu, is one of superior durability and can replace and even outperform new cellulosic and synthetic fabrics, which make up 90 percent of all current textile fibers.
Evrnu recently introduced this material with a t-shirt designed by Karl fields; In the past, the company has worked with brands such as Levi Strauss which explored the use of waste materials to make clothing.
How Evrnu disrupts the textile manufacturing process
Evrnus lyocell Product is regenerative as it is made entirely from cotton textile waste.
Artificial cellulose fibers have been made from dissolved wood pulp, often from fresh wood, for decades. Evrnu’s technology uses recycled textile pulp instead of fresh tree pulp and processes it into lyocell. Unlike synthetic fibers such as nylon and viscose, which have a completely different chemical composition than wood-based cellulose, Evrnu’s lyocell product can be recycled multiple times because its structure has not been altered. This is in contrast to synthetic fibers such as viscose and nylon, which cannot be recycled due to the chemical structure of the fabrics. In industry parlance, the process Evrnu uses is a non-derivative method, while traditional materials like rayon and nylon rely on a derivative chemical process.
The result is a bio-based alternative to polyester, nylon and other man-made cellulose fibers. The resulting fabric also offers the apparel industry a means of reducing carbon emissions and plastic waste. Evrnu adds that its Lyocell material outperforms currently available polyester and man-made cellulose fibers.
Rethink how fabrics are made
Evrnu sees discarded textiles as an untapped natural resource. The company developed its NuCycl technology with the aim of growing the global textile industry in a sustainable and responsible manner by using the full potential of existing resources that do not need to be extracted. When estimates suggest that the world’s fashion industry is generating about 92 million tons of waste per year, Evrnu is helping to reduce this global problem by turning what was once just something to look at and then waste into a renewable resource.
By diverting this textile waste from landfills, Evrnu’s process also prevents chemicals and microfibers from leaching into the environment. The company’s system not only reduces the amount of energy and chemicals needed during the dyeing process, but is also very water efficient — in fact, it uses 98 percent less water than is needed to make fabric from cotton, according to a representative of Evrnu explained in an email exchange with TriplePundit.
Push the apparel sector into the circular economy
Evrnu’s current plans are to become a player in the global apparel value chain. The current plan is to license the company’s technology with the goal of accelerating the adoption of its fabric and enabling scaling of the NuCycl manufacturing process. To date, the company says it has raised $29 million, with the number expected to grow to $31 million by the end of this month. As part of its long-term strategy, the company is currently building a commercial demonstration factory in the US to demonstrate to potential licensees what its technology makes possible. When completed, the plant will have a capacity to process 17,000 tons of pulp and 2,000 tons of fibers.
The result of Evrnu’s efforts is a step forward for the circular economy and a bold attempt to divert textile waste from landfill and prevent more chemicals and contaminated water from entering the environment. The company joins other brands in rethinking how clothes are both bought and disposed of, including Worn Again Technologies, For days and Everywhere, everywhere, everywhere clothing.
Photo credit via Evrnu
Comments are closed.