BPPL launches Sri Lanka’s first ever Polyester Yarn Production Facility
BPPL Holdings PLC (BPPL), among the top brush makers in Asia, recently inaugurated the country’s first ever state- of-the-art polyester yarn plant.
The facility is another milestone for BPPL, spearheaded by wholly owned subsidiary Eco-Spindles (Pvt) Ltd, towards bringing forth the advantages of innovative sustainability where yarn is produced exclusively from recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate, commonly known as PET flakes.
Eco Spindles, in a media release by the parent company, said it is recognised as a pioneer manufacturer, synonymous throughout the industry for producing synthetic monofilaments for cleaning tools, synthetic monofilaments for paint brushes and polyester yarn for fabric.
As a driving and innovative force continually setting new standards in the industry, Eco Spindle’s technologically advanced new yarn facility, located in the Horana BOI Zone, has an impressive 13,000 sq. meter area and a capacity to produce approximately 960 tonnes of synthetic yarn per annum for local and globally renowned fabric manufacturers.
“This is only one of two plants globally which creates yarn directly from flakes circumventing the polymerization process where flakes are first converted to chips and then to yarn. The raw material for the plant’s yarn is sourced through post-consumer (waste) PET bottle collections. Eco Spindle’s well-established network of over 125 collection points set-up across the country ensures nearly 200-250 tonnes of PET waste is amassed each month,” the release said.
The PET bottles are then sorted, hot and cold washed prior to being transformed into flakes and finally, into recycled draw textured polyester yarn. This polyester yarn is available in both raw white and dope dyed yarn forms.
Another value addition is the plant’s dope dying capabilities offering colour pigmentation insertion as part of the extrusion process.
“We are extremely proud of our accomplishment in inaugurating Sri Lanka’s first ever yarn production facility. Propelling the country towards greater recognition, the factory’s state- of-the-art spinning and texturing machinery from Europe will make it a game-changer for the industry,” said Dr. Anush Amarasinghe, BPPL Managing Director, in the release.
“Additionally, with the global apparel industry moving towards creating more sustainable products and processes, BPPL sees tremendous potential for its recycled polyester yarn offering,” added Dr. Amarasinghe.
Eco Spindle’s quality compliance, including Global Recycled Standard (GRS), Restricted Substances Lists (RSL) and Oekotex Standard 100 ensures the produced yarn meets stringent international standards.
The plant is managed by an experienced workforce of over 40 staff including consultants and operators with over 15 years of experience from countries such as Germany and India.
Founded in 1984, BPPL Holdings manufactures a range of high quality, durable brushware and cleaning products for both professional and household applications. Leveraging on its sustainable manufacturing and vertically integrated processes, coupled with commitment to consistent quality, on-time delivery, reasonable pricing and flexibility allows it to supply to major distributors and retailers of cleaning tools worldwide.