Adoption up for CiCLO, a “better polyester”
Parkdale Mills’ CiCLO, synthetic yarns that are engineered to biodegrade at rates comparable to wool, is seeing growing adoption. Fruit of the Loom Europe has incorporated CiCLO polyester into two key lines, its Iconic Premium and Iconic 250 Sweats collections. Christian Lanvermann, marketing manager for Fruit of the Loom Europe said that this move allowed the brand “to offer added value and differentiation”.
Cheryl Smyre, vice president of Parkdale Mills Advanced Materials, confirmed that adoption was growing in key markets in addition to sports, such as workwear and hospitality home textiles. In these sectors, products undergo intense laundering and the need to mitigate the negative impacts of fibre shedding counts more.
Black Diamond has transitioned its fibre choice to CiCLO for its popular lightweight fleece range Rift. Japanese brand Asics has introduced the yarn in its women’s fitness collection. At Fruit of the Loom Europe, the brushed backs of sweatshirts and joggers, which potentially shed the most, will also have fewer negative impacts on the environment.
“Our key message is that garments made from CiCLO yarns are ‘Made to last, not here forever’. We’ve engineered the fibre to be the most durable fibre that biodegrades,” said Ms Smyre. She noted that the marketing of biodegradability in textiles can at times lack clarity. “Our goal is to create a better polyester. CiCLO is designed for products that are made to last, and workwear is a good example, its ability to biodegrade is only an end-of-life solution”. Part of Parkdale Mills’ Advanced Materials division, CiCLO is also available in nylon.
The company has recently hired Chad Bolick, a former Unifi executive, to manage sales of CiCLO.
