In January 2020, AMANN Group was the first sewing thread producer worldwide to receive the Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold certification for the technical cycle for its new LIFECYCLE product line. Cradle to Cradle certified products are designed for complete composting (biological cycle) or pure recycling (technical cycle) and enable a consistently closed recycling management without any waste.
As one of the most resource-intensive economy sectors, the textile industry is facing fundamental change. In order to stem the flood of global textile waste and to meet their responsibility towards the environment and people, textile manufacturers and fashion labels are increasingly relying on closed-loop recycling management according to the Cradle to Cradle® principles. Cradle to Cradle®, stands for products that are either used as biological nutrients in biological cycles, or that are continuously kept in technical cycles as technical nutrients.
For years, AMANN has been advancing products in order to make them more sustainable by using selected recycled and natural materials. With the recycled and Cradle to Cradle® certified sewing thread Lifecycle Polyamide, made from polyamide 6.0 continuous filament, AMANN positions itself on the market with a new product strategy.
Lifecycle Polyamide has been optimised in cooperation with the international environmental institute EPEA for recycling as raw material in the technical cycle. This means that AMANN has developed a product that guarantees maximum recyclability, does not consume any resources and that is characterised by particularly high quality at the same time. The raw material for Lifecycle Polyamide is obtained from recycled fishing nets and other textile waste. Since no materials that are harmful to health and the environment may be used in the production according to Cradle to Cradle®, AMANN does not use silicones and uses only compostable dyes for dyeing threads. This resource-saving procedure not only has a positive effect on the environment, but also on product quality. The new Lifecycle Polyamide sewing thread has excellent strength properties and is extremely robust, abrasion-resistant and durable.
“The Cradle to Cradle® product certification evaluates the five categories material health, material reuse, use of renewable energies, water management and social responsibility”, emphasises Jörg Bühler (Global Director Quality Management) at AMANN. “For us, this meant that all product components and production processes had to be designed according to the principle of a potentially infinite recycling management. Today we are proud to be the first sewing thread manufacturer worldwide to offer our customers the first Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold sewing thread from our Lifecycle range”.
“Sustainability, as well as ecological, social thinking and acting have been embedded in AMANN’s corporate philosophy from the very beginning”, Jörg Bühler continued. All AMANN production sites in Germany, Great Britain, the Czech Republic, Romania, Bangladesh, China and Vietnam are equipped with the most modern, sustainable machinery and technologies.
An extension of the Lifecycle product line is currently being implemented. In addition, it is also planned to develop compostable sewing threads made of natural raw materials for feeding into biological cycles.