Nylstar: A Trailblazer in Textile Sustainability
Zero waste may be a huge goal, but Nylstar is taking major steps to make it a reality.
With nearly 8 billion people on Earth and still counting, it’s surprising to no one that we consume a ton. Perhaps even less surprising is that along with all this consumption, we also produce a lot of waste. As the planet continues to increase in population, the issue of waste and what to do with it also becomes more of a problem. How can we minimize our consumption of nonrenewable resources? And how can we minimize or even get rid of waste altogether? One company is making it their mission to find a solution to these problems. At tech company Nylstar, the goal is simple: initiate radical change in the textile industry by using advanced hydrogen technology. To find out more about exactly what this all means, we sat down with Nylstar’s head of marketing and customer relations, Zuzana Vaskova.
In order to get into how Nylstar dives into sustainability, we need to take a step back and look at their hydrogen technology. Ms. Vaskova notes that their top seller is actually hydrogen yarn, a super soft and breathable yarn with natural stretch. Additionally, it also has hydrating properties which make it excellent for use with garments that have close contact with the skin. But what is so special about their hydrogen tech? For starters, their technology helps with a major environmental impact issue that the textile industry often faces - microplastic generation. Textile products create a large amount of microplastics as byproducts of the production process. These microplastics wind up being released over the duration of product use and washes which in turn pollutes the air and water, harming wildlife. With hydrogen tech, they are able to create high performance fabrics with absolutely zero microplastic release that are 100% recyclable. By preventing their garments from releasing microplastics, Nylstar ensures maximum protection for the environment during their production process. Another problem textile manufacturers run into is water consumption during the dyeing process. In addition to their hydrogen technologies, Nylstar has also developed a sustainable waterless dyeing technology called Meryl ecodye. Meryl ecodye ensures high quality color while protecting the environment by reducing waste of natural resources.
When asked about how we can boost sustainability in the textile industry, Ms. Vaskova replied that the focus for Nylstar was creating 100% recyclable garments to close the loop from production to wear. Often even though a garment is made from recycled material, the finished product itself is not recyclable and we wind up back at square one. As noted earlier, Nylstar’s yarn generates zero microplastics which means that garments produced using this yarn are able to be recycled. As if this weren’t enough, they also have their line of Meryl recycled yarn which reuses post-production waste to bring it a new life in the form of a super sustainable fabric. With Nylstar’s Meryl yarn, consumption of natural resources is nonexistent. They have recently started a new collecting and recycling center where they can revive your waste by turning them into new garments. Once they collect your used materials, they shred it so that it can be spun into new fabric. After that, it is made into apparel and ready for you to wear. When you’re all done wearing the garment and ready to recycle, it can be sent back to the Nylstar collection center to begin the process again and reincarnate into a new yarn, closing the loop.
At MEC, we are big proponents of incorporating sustainability in our practices, so we love using Nylstar yarn when we have the opportunity. Our seamless technology is designed to produce textiles that are both durable and lightweight in nature. In Ms. Vaskova’s own words, Nylstar’s yarns work perfectly in conjunction with our seamless/circular knitting technology. The seamless garments that result from the collaboration of MEC and Nylstar have high moisture management, natural stretch, and odor control. All in all, making for a garment that is not only pleasant for the wearer but eco-friendly as well. We have used Nylstar yarn in some of our garments such as loungewear and athleticwear. The natural stretch provided by the hydrogen technology makes for highly flexible and super comfy apparel for the wearer plus it allows for a 100% recyclable solution - thanks to the natural stretch, Nylstar avoids the use of elastane thus ensuring the recyclability of the garment. In addition to cozy new attire, you get to rest assured that you are contributing to absolutely minimal environmental impact.
These days with fashion being right at our fingertips, it gets increasingly difficult to minimize your impact on the environment. During the production process, textile factories can use up a lot of water. Nylstar provides a sustainable alternative with their hydrogen technologies which allow for the manufacturing of yarns with zero water consumption. In addition to zero water consumption, yarns produced using their hydrogen tech also boast zero microplastic generation, no use of chemicals, and they are 100% recyclable. To further commit to sustainability, they have a new collecting and recycling center where old garments can find new life after being shredded and spun into new yarn. MEC has previously collaborated with Nylstar to create a collection for renowned football academy Juventus Shanghai. The jerseys and shorts from the Juventus Academy Shanghai collection were woven using Nylstar yarn. The use of Nylstar yarn resulted in athleticwear that is strong and breathable, the perfect gear to enhance an athlete’s experience and boost their confidence as well as technical ability. In the future we hope to continue collaborating with innovative and sustainable entities like Nylstar.