It has been an exciting and progressive few months in our world, and we can finally share this news with you. We have launched our first range of gear made from ECONYL® regenerated nylon.
The Regeneration Process
Regeneration can be understood as the act of renewing and restoring. Something that is damaged or not useful anymore goes through the process of regeneration to become a reinvented version of its former self - purposeful and revived. Therefore, we can now be understood as a company that plays a role in an important regeneration process.
With this interpretation, ECONYL® regenerated nylon can be understood as a revolutionary material made from waste, that is otherwise polluting the Earth, such as fishing nets, fabric scraps, carpet flooring, and industrial plastic. The waste is rescued, sorted, and then cleaned to recover all the nylon possible. Through a radical regeneration and purification process, nylon waste is brought back to its original form. The ECONYL® raw material is then processed into ECONYL® yarns and polymers for use in varying industries and products. Our role can be understood as the final step in the regeneration process, taking a sustainable ingredient made from waste and turning it into gear that is new and useful.
The move to ECONYL® regenerated nylon is a tremendous material progression for us, and for our responsibility journey. Jasper Eales, creative director and co-founder of Sealand, says:
“The introduction of ECONYL® regenerated nylon to Sealand is certainly one of, if not, the largest material and product innovation Sealand has seen since our inception in 2015. This material encumbers everything we stand for, sustainability, durability, functionality, and aesthetics, all packaged into this smart regenerative fabric.”
Keeping the People and the Planet at the Centre
In 2015 ‘Outerknown’ (Kelly Slater’s sustainable lifestyle brand) was founded, and released with a range of swimwear and four-way stretch in partnership with the ECONYL® brand. After this inspiration, we reached out to Aquafil. Aquafil is a brand of conscious innovators who act as pioneers to provide unique products and services that leverage performance and reduce the impact on a global scale. At that time Aquafil did not have a material suitable for bags, however, they did mention that they were working on something exciting.
We kept the conversation alive and the material we were after was released - ECONYL® regenerated nylon in a suitable format for bags such as ours. As mentioned, Aquafil have been a pioneer of the circular economy revolution in the textile sector (within Italy and around the globe). Furthermore, their flagship product is ECONYL® regenerated nylon, which revolutionises the world of synthetic fibres through a closed-loop model.
Navigating waste, and repurposing it is at the very forefront of our purpose. However, there can always be progression and learning in this area for all makers, creators, and consumers. ECONYL® regenerated nylon is a product that can help the retail industry close the loop. What is meant by this is that ECONYL® regenerated nylon is infinitely recyclable and that the possibilities for creators and consumers are never-ending. As Giulio Bonazzi, CEO and Chairman at Aquafil, says:
“Our commitment starts from rethinking and redesigning the business processes and products from a circular perspective, by considering waste as a precious resource to be recycled and by finding innovative solutions to meet the challenges of the world in an era of constant change. My wish would be to make the world a better place by pioneering closed-loop regeneration processes and delivering sustainable products, which actually is part of the ECONYL® brand vision.”
Watch our campaign video here
