Retail brand Free People recently announced three activewear styles made from ECONYL, a sustainable yarn developed in Italy. ECONYL is a 100 per cent regenerated nylon fibre made with discarded waste collected from landfills and oceans (fishing nets and fabric scraps). ECONYL allows new products to be made without ever revisiting new resources.
The material is created in three steps: First, waste is salvaged from landfills and oceans all over the world, then sorted and cleaned to recover as much nylon as possible. After, through a regeneration process, the nylon waste is recycled right back to its original purity. The nylon is then processed into textile yarn for cutting-edge activewear styles, like Free People’s very own trio of eco-friendly styles. For every 10,000 tonne of ECONYL raw material, 70,000 barrels of crude oil are saved, and 57,100 tonne of CO2 equivalent emissions are avoided. It reduces the global warming impact of nylon by up to 80 per cent compared with the material from oil. Free People Movement is excited to add these new styles to the collection just in time for spring. The brand is celebrating the launch by donating 1 per cent of all Movement purchases to non-profit partner Girls Inc. Girls Inc. inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold through direct service and advocacy. The collection features a sports bra, long-sleeve top and a pair of leggings. The 4th Annual Environmental Leader & Energy Manager Conference took place on May 13 – 15, 2019 in Denver.
