Cocona Labs, US’ makers of temperature-regulating 37.5 technology, announced that after four years of testing, all 37.5 fibres and yarns going forward will incorporate an Enhanced Biodegradation (+EB) technology to accelerate the natural biodegradation of synthetic textiles in landfills. Materials that incorporate 37.5 technologies are used in outdoor gear.
Unlike standard synthetic materials that can take centuries to biodegrade, the +EB additive enables 37.5 synthetic fibres and yarns to biodegrade in just a fraction of that time without impacting durability or performance, the company said.
Textiles have long been known to be a major component of landfill waste. Synthetic fibres represent more than half of all global fibre production and show virtually no natural degradation in lab tests. It’s estimated 17 mn tonnes of textile waste are contributed to landfills every year, much of which will remain unchanged during the remainder of our lifetime (and far beyond). Cocona Labs’ decision to add the +EB additive to all the company’s 37.5 products, at no additional charge, was made to address this issue.
Unlike typical synthetic fibres that can take hundreds (if not thousands) of years to biodegrade, 37.5 technology’s +EB additive rapidly accelerates synthetic fibres’ natural degradation after being deposited in a landfill. Based on laboratory tests, 37.5 +EB fibres are projected to biodegrade 50-80 percent in just 80-100 years so that synthetic textile waste may be more quickly reclaimed.
“Incorporating +EB technology into all 37.5 products is an important step to bringing more sustainable practices to the textile industry. Given the growing mass of synthetic materials sitting in landfills and the problems associated with it, we are excited to make this technology available at no additional charge. We believe deeply that manufacturers and suppliers need to be doing better, so we are,” Jeff Bowman, CEO of Cocona Labs, said in a statement.
