Catalan firm Marina Textil has partnered up with the Eurecat technology centre to roll out a circular economy project to generate a new fabric harnessing up to 88 percent of the waste that until now was thrown away during the company’s industrial process. Using this innovative technology, they estimate that up to 5,500 kg of textile waste will be reused per year.
The new fabric contains a yarn produced with 90% virgin fibres and 10% recycled fibres. The project is based on an innovative process of separation and recycling of different laminated fabrics that Marina Textil has developed with Eurecat. This technology separates the layers of fabrics from the membranes and polyurethane adhesives. Once separated, the recovered material is reintroduced into a new yarn manufacturing process to make technical fabrics for personal protection, thus adding to the company’s range of recycled products.
Marina Textil has been backed in this project by the Government of Catalonia through ACCIÓ, the Agency for Business Competitiveness in the Ministry of Business and Labour, and the Catalan Waste Agency in the Ministry of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, with a €162,990 grant from the Industrial Research and Experimental Development Nuclis facility in the field of waste.
“The project has been a challenge for the company and the results have been highly satisfactory,” says Helena Esteve, head of R&D and Innovation at Marina Textil. “This new development affords us the opportunity to grow and further unlock sustainability and recycling which are key strategic goals for us.”
Moreover, this circular economy fabric enables Marina Textil to slash its environmental impact by up to 49 percent, especially in terms of the emission of polluting gases which they are able to reduce and thus have a smaller impact on the atmosphere. The company plans to roll out this industrial methodology in other business processes.
Marina Textil is a Catalan firm established in 1992 and based in Barberà del Vallès (Vallès Occidental) specialising in the manufacture of technical fabrics for personal protection. With an annual turnover of €47 million, it has a staff of 45 workers in its offices and warehouse in Barberà. Marina Textil has three branches abroad: a sales office in Toulouse (France) and another in São Paulo (Brazil), and the subsidiary Marina Technical Textiles in Houston (United States). The company exports to 60 countries worldwide.
