TEXTILES.ORG
RadiciGroup recently developed sustainable, recyclable yarn called Biofeel® Eleven, made from 100% castor bean oil.
Marco De Silvestri, sales and marketing head of the Advanced Textile Solutions Business Area for the company, describes the yarn’s properties as “low water absorption, increased lightness and improved strength properties … to produce fabrics that are both durable and comfortable to the touch and skin. This translates into a wide range of applications, from sportswear to workwear, from fashion garments to textiles for luxury cars.”
It can be dyed at the yarn production stage, providing greater color stability and using less water and energy than after the fabric is woven.
Castor beans contain oil rich in ricinolein, which is the source of the biopolymer polyamide 11, a bioplastic. Chemical company Arkema supplies the biopolymer.
Biofeel Eleven is the newest yarn in the company’s lineup of products that are at least partially bio-based, including: Biofeel PET, which is 30% Bio-MEG (monoethylene glycol) and comes from sugarcane and other cellulosic waste; Biofeel PA nylon, which is 64% bio-based from sebacic acid derived from castor beans; and Biofeel PLA, 100% bio-based and derived from polylactic resin from “vegetable raw materials.”
The company has other sustainability initiatives. It also captures pre- and postindustrial waste from its facilities and processes them at Radici EcoMaterials, formerly Zeta Polimeri, an Italian company acquired by RadiciGroup three years ago. Radici EcoMaterials is Global Recycled Standard certified, which ensures traceability of materials.