San Diego—Aquafil and Genomatica have entered a multi-year agreement to create sustainable caprolactam, a key ingredient to producing 100% sustainable nylon. The collaboration aims to use Genomatica’s Geno CPLTM process to make caprolactam using plant-based renewable ingredients, rather than the crude oil-derived materials traditionally used by the nylon industry.
Aquafil is a leading producer of nylon yarn and launched the Econyl Regeneration System in 2011 to produce nylon made from 100% regenerated waste. A large and growing number of globally recognized sportswear, fashion, luxury and carpet brands choose Econyl as the sustainable ingredient for their product. Like the Econyl process, the Geno CPLTM process eliminates the significant amount of by-products common to most crude oil-derived caprolactam production, and will allow producers to diversify their sources in terms of raw material.
“As proven by the success of Econyl, consumers and manufacturers look forward to opportunities to play an active role in the circular economy,” said Giulio Bonazzi, Chairman and CEO of Aquafil. “We aim to be a leader of sustainability for nylon, and we are excited by the opportunity to be the first to bring the benefits of this new technology to our customers, which is perfectly in line with our commitment to creating sustainable products. Genomatica brings the technology, innovation and track record to help us achieve this.”