High-quality threads from fishing nets and rubbish: ECONYL & ECOALF.
Econyl is the name of an infinitely regenerable nylon yarn obtained from recycled fishing nets and produced by the Italian company Aquafil, who created the world’s largest green carpet for Piazza della Scala in Milan on the occasion of the Green Carpet Fashion Awards, Italia 2017 and 2018. The nets are retrieved by a team of voluntary scuba divers from the non-profit organisation Healthy Seas. In one of the most recent missions to the Aeolian Islands, four tons of nets were salvaged in just two days. Aquafil then transforms this waste into yarns used in the runway collections of brands such as Gucci, Richard Malone and Adidas, as well as emerging designers like Tiziano Guardini. • Ecoalf – the Spanish sustainable outdoor fashion company – has launched an ambitious project called Upcycling the Oceans. This unique adventure is helping to clean the oceans of waste with the support of fishermen. A revolutionary initiative that Ecoalf wants to replicate in other parts of the world, its present aim is to recover the rubbish that’s destroying the Mediterranean, and then turn it into premium yarn for use in the production of fabrics, clothes and accessories. The goal is to obtain threads with outstanding technical qualities, with a structure suited to current trends, using 100% recycled materials and no other natural resources. •