In times like these, where the world is rapidly and visibly changing all around us, we are called to do a lot of self-assessment concerning our own lives. Countries, brands, and people all over the world are making changes and adjustments for the better, and we as a company wanted to do our part as well, with Econyl.
Especially in recent years, the side effects of nylon have come to the attention of many. As a material, it is easy to use and versatile, which is why it is so broadly used in many industries, including fashion. Nylon is also, however, not biodegradable and requires three times the energy to produce compared to cotton. In addition to that, the lifespan of nylon has shortened a considerable amount, resulting in poor quality nylon products often finding their way into landfills or oceans. In fact, nylon fishnets are one of the biggest microplastic polluters in the oceans.
This is where Econyl comes in. Econyl is a material produced from nylon waste collected from landfills and oceans. It can be recycled and recreated over and over again, creating an environment where new resources won’t be wasted, but new products can still be produced. All this, while still not compromising the look and feel of the material. Even the likes of Prada have recently turned to Econyl in the latest reform of their iconic nylon products - and if that’s not telling of the quality of the material, I don’t know what is.
So far, the statistics of the production of Econyl show, that for every 10 000 tons of created material, they are able to save 70 000 barrels of crude oil and avoid 57 100 tonnes of CO2 emissions. So if you’re looking for a way to make up for your carbon footprint in the fashion industry, Econyl is the way to go.
Coming from Finland, where nature and its beauty and might have been respected and valued from the beginning of times, it is important for us to become more and more aware of the impact our products have on mother nature. In our case, this has resulted in the creation of the Ocean Collection, where all of our products are made using Econyl. It’s an innovation that goes hand in hand with our values and will hopefully make the step into conscious consumerism that much easier. Because the journey to a better future isn’t made up of only one big step, but millions of small ones.
Words by: EmilIa Jussila
Sources: econyl.com, goodonyou.eco