Cindy McNaull, Cordura business development director, Invista.
Cordura business development director at Invista, Cindy McNaull, believes the brand’s new re/cor recycled nylon 6.6 fabrics score well in terms of sustainability, but also meet its strict standards for abrasion resistance and tear strength.
Cordura is introducing its first 100% recycled nylon 6.6 fabrics this year; in what way does this new product reflect Invista’s approach to innovation?
Our innovation pipeline is fully focused on listening to the voice of our customers. Throughout the development of our recycled fibre, which has been two years in the making, we listened closely to their needs, we collected insights, and we looked for ways in which we could provide new solutions across the supply chain. We were particularly attentive to our customers’ environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) goals, which we found to be very ambitious. Cordura re/cor is one way that we can help our partners and brands achieve their 2030 commitments. Aligning with their stewardship journey is a core part of our strategy as well. As a major producer of nylon, we are constantly working on yield improvements that have resulted in a continuous reduction of downgraded material. However, the scale of our manufacturing facilities ensures that we have line of sight to deliver against industry needs. Cordura re/cor RN66 is made from material recycled from our own operations. We control what we manufacture and have high confidence that fabrics based on our recycled nylon 6.6 fibre fully meet our brand standards. This was a big part of the development process and essential to the launch of our re/cor RN66 portfolio.
Can you walk us through the development of this new reference?
We began a few years ago what has been, fundamentally, an iterative process We started by developing and testing a polymer that had 50% recycled content drawn from pre-consumer waste. This allowed us to gain important internal knowledge and better understanding of the fibre’s properties, and those of fabric made from it. We partnered with Dong Jin International, an authorised Cordura fabric mill based in Korea, to develop the first fabrics. It was important to go all the way to actual fabrics as customers often want to see a tangible product. This partnership was instrumental in bringing a viable product to market. It was clear, from early on, that our customers wanted a recycled Cordura yarn made from 100% recycled material. A 100% recycled material allows our brand partners, as well as ourselves, to send a clear message. It also allows us, along with our partners, to achieve higher impacts. It is an all-round more compelling story. Cordura re/cor is 100% Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certified, and to provide our partners with verifiable and reliable information, we benchmarked our recycled nylon 6.6 fibre production process against our existing lifecycle assessment (LCA) for virgin N66. It found that, compared to the production of virgin nylon 6.6, Cordura re/cor RN66 leads to a decrease in greenhouse gas emissions of 83%. It reduces energy use by 82% and water by 57%. These are clear and quantifiable benefits.
These are strong scores for sustainability, but how do Cordura re/cor fabrics perform with regards to the label’s expected durability and robustness?
Any product that is a part of the Cordura Advanced Fabrics platform undergoes extensive testing. Cordura re/cor RN66 is no exception. The fabrics developed, of which there are already 30, are in line with Cordura standards. We have tested them for abrasion resistance, and found that they are comparable in performance to virgin quality. We have also benchmarked re/cor fabrics and have found that they outperform competitive recycled nylon 6 fabrics in both tear resistance and tensile strength. The assurance that we could deliver the performance levels expected of a Cordura fabric is what enabled us to bring this project to the market. The first Cordura re/cor fabrics are being introduced in the heavier denier ranges, 210, 420, 500 deniers and multiples thereof. They can be used to make bags and packs, footwear, as well as garment reinforcements for protective workwear and activewear.
How does the development of this new reference fit into the Cordura Advanced Fabrics platform and strategy with regards to sustainability?
Cordura re/cor is a core feature of our global approach to stewardship. We have deliberately engineered it so that it can continue to grow in the future as well. The name re/cor itself was chosen because it can refer to a broad array of possibilities. It can evoke recycled, regenerative, or even renewed. These are all areas that we believe will be ever more important in the future. We took advantage of the launch of RN66 to create a family of responsibility-focused Cordura fabric technologies under the re/cor sub-brand. This portfolio includes our GRS-certified 100% post-consumer recycled polyester and our 100% pre-consumer recycled nylon 6 fabric technologies. Our solution-dyed nylon fabrics, Cordura TrueLock, also offer ESG benefits such as built-in colour that translates to significant reductions in water and energy use. The Cordura TrueLock manufacturing process also reduces CO2 emissions compared to traditional dyeing processes based on a 2013 LCA study.
We at WSA have covered many innovative textiles announcements, but few of these successfully achieve a significant market presence. How does Invista address this challenge and convince brands to adopt a new technology and bring it to market?
We initiated a programme a few years back that we call Cordura Lab to Life in which we test fabrics by simulating real-life conditions. Furthermore, we take a very pragmatic approach to innovation, and this enables our customers to feel more confident introducing a new material. In the development of the recycled nylon 6.6, we have been working closely with a few early-adopter brands. One name I can mention is San Francisco-based pack maker Black Ember, which should be making an announcement soon.
Cindy McNaull, Cordura business development director at Invista.
Credit: Invista
