The LYCRA Company, a global leader in developing innovative and sustainable solutions for apparel, had announced its participation in seminars held during Performance Days Munich, March 20-21 in Germany. The seminars had explored the current state of polyester recycling from textile waste and had been hosted by Accelerating Circularity, an action-oriented non-profit organization focused on textile-to-textile recycling systems on a commercial scale.

Jean Hegedus, The LYCRA Company’s Director of Sustainable Business Development, had been the panelist in the Recycled Polyester Database Launch session. The platform had brought together polyester recyclers and fabric producers who had been incorporating textile feedstocks into their processes and products.

Following the presentation, panelists had discussed the challenges of using textile waste and how to overcome them. Then they had broken into groups to offer brands and retailers the opportunity to speak directly with providers in more detail.

The LYCRA Company had been a leader in the development of specialty polyester fibers made from textile waste, offering COOLMAX and THERMOLITE EcoMade fibers made from 100% textile waste since 2021. These fibers had been of virgin equivalent quality and had been available in staple, filament, and insulation forms and could have been used in a broad variety of applications from performance wear to outdoor garments, to socks and ready-to-wear.

To help customers realize the benefits of sourcing products made from textile waste, last year The LYCRA Company had launched “Waste for Good,” a new promotional campaign that had featured the tagline, “Don’t Waste this Opportunity.” The messaging had promoted the advancement of circularity in the apparel and textile industry with COOLMAX and THERMOLITE EcoMade technologies.

“We had been grateful to Accelerating Circularity for hosting this event and highlighting the need to move to textile waste as an input, thus setting the stage for our industry to close its own loop,” Hegedus had said. “This had been particularly important as recycled bottles had been projected to be in short supply within the next few years, with bottling companies working to secure supply for their recycling efforts.”