Applied Circularity: New Fibers Using Recycled Waste

Naia Renew is a built-in, soft, sustainable and traceable staple fibre introduced by Eastman – a global specialty materials company.

Aimed at the casual and loungewear markets, the fibre is made of 60% wood pulp and 40% recycled waste plastics and can be produced in bulk. The fibre is quick drying and reduces garment pilling while at the same time blending well with other eco-friendly materials such as lyocell, modal and recycled polyester. The staple fibre is produced with a low carbon footprint in a closed-loop process with solvents safely recycled back into the system for reuse.

The fibre is produced from wood pulp sourced from certified forests, and the recycled plastics feedstock is generated via the company’s integrated molecular recycling technology that breaks down waste plastics – such as post-consumer carpet fibre and plastic packaging materials – into basic molecular building blocks for the manufacture of new products including fibres. Thus, the company has developed a circulation solution that creates value from waste.