THEthe “blue” model of the economy (Blue Economy), thesustainable approach that enhances marine and coastal resources and the protection of ecosystems, It has become the business card of young companies that combine technological innovation with millenary traditions of which the sea has always been the first custodian. Because wellness, accessibility and usability of aquatic ecosystems They can also be obtained through reuse, design and social vocation.
Virtuous fibers: Row The echo substitute for fiberglass
The Lombard Association of GS4C, an acronym of Go sailing, for a change (Sailing, for a change), a small innovative enterprise born in 2012 e Founded by former America’s Cup sailors, Enrico Benco and Cristiana Talon. “Our goal is to look for sustainable technologies that can allow the cycle” from cradle to cradle “, An approach to the life of the products that do not take them for granting their transforming into waste. With a view to circularity and renewable energy, however, Systems are identified that adapt industrial models to nature by providing for the regeneration of used materials»Explains Cristiana Talon.
From this assumption, they created Rowa natural fiber that proposes itself as a substitute for fiberglass Because light and effective just like the “queen” of nautical materials. “Fiberglass has always been used for the coating of boats but is too polluting and difficult to dispose of -says Enrico Benco -. Today the technologies to offer alternatives are there, but the problem of recycling remains, a phase in which the material must not lose the characteristics for which it is appreciated. Here our new fiber comes into play which is of volcanic origin ». In the production cycle of Filava, the basalt that constitutes it, after being enriched with mineral oxides. In this way the material acquires a second life, without losing its peculiarities and becoming perfect for waterproofing the hulls, with valid applications also in construction and for the production of wind turbines.
The Econyl, under, obtained from abandoned fishing nets, is the yarn also used by the big fashion brands.
Virtuous fibers: from the mussels, the “Silk of the sea”
Sustainable inspiration can also come from aquatic organisms, as happens for A completely natural material made from the abundant mussel waste. Dal Bisso, the dense and resistant beard that these myths use to anchor themselves to the rocks, a young London company, the Seastexobtained a fiber with high textile characteristics, a “sea silk”, with fresh and light texture. This substance also becomes useful as thermal insulator, thanks to a compression treatment that transforms it into highly versatile panels. In this way the filaments from the mussels discarded by the fish industry constitute Excellent fireproof structures with insulating properties.
Following the successful attempt by the English company, in Italy to lead from the forerunner to a twin project is an eco-social collaboration, that of the mild cars led by Paolo Varrella and the Apulian non-profit organization Made in prison directed by Luciana delle Donne. The project Sea thread enhances the qualities of a completely biodegradable fiber and the circularity of its production chain. “The mussels are collected, clean and flanked.
The filament has been recovered, it is worked to obtain a fiber similar to silk that the hands of the prisoners of Lecce and Taranto have transformed into splendid decorations for their tailored creations »explains Varrella. «This ancient processing procedure is the child of the Tarantine tradition -continues Luciana delle Donne -. The waste filament is transformed into a fiber for fabric and, thanks to this collaborative intertwining, the biso has been saved from disposal, becoming a memory of the sea to be inlaid in the decorative details of the fabrics, stimulating the interest of the high fashion house, increasingly close to the circular economy “.
Actually, Each part of the mollusc can be reused, including shells“We think that a kilogram of shells equates to 260 grams of savings in CO2 emissions because, during their life cycle, the mussels capture carbon dioxide to make their own shell. Shased waste can be used in the production of buttonsbut also of islets for the migration of aquatic birds or in green building as road backgrounds »continues Paolo Varrella.
Even fabrics, swimwear, rugs and ethical yarns have ended up on the podium of eco-responsible productsborn from the commitment of a trio of Italian brands, the Trentino Aquafil group by Giulio Bonazzi and the Bergamo Carvico and Jersey Lomellina, producers of technical-sports fabrics and supporters of a fashion that respects the environment.
Together they decided to produce their fabrics, rowing them with the‘Econyl, a new type of nylon consisting of recycled polyamide, coming from the regeneration of fishing nets abandoned which represent the first cause of trapping for hundreds of thousands of organisms. “Each year 640 thousand tons of lences and networks are thrown into the sea, of which 300 thousand transformed into floating islands that end up feeding plastic vortices in the oceans, killing thousands of marine animals, including cetaceans” explains Bonazzi. To use the yarn inside their collections are also Prada, for the King – Nylon line, and Stella McCartney.
Econyl and Xlance: save the oceans with swimwear
To contribute to the safeguarding of marine ecosystems through the circular economy, Aquafil also gave birth to the world initiative Healthy Seas (Healthy seas)in collaboration with the NGOs Ghost diving Hong Kong and Korea, so as to contrast effectively The phenomenon of ghost networks in the oceans.
«From the cooperation with these partners, a circular project was born that associates the fight against the phenomenon of ghost networks also the reuse of waste from other sectorslike aquaculture: abandoned rugs, scrolls of fabrics and industrial waste -continues Giulio Bonazzi -. We decided to emphasize the importance of the Technological research for sustainable products and processes. We were helped by a team composed of 620 fishermen and 170 volunteer divers which have made it possible to dispose of the nets and sustainablely “.
After Econyl, the next goal is to improve the performance of the New elastomeric fiber conceived by Carvico, the Xlance, ideal for swimwear, because chlorine resistant and able to protect from UV rays. Is a Totally eco -sustainable material, obtained from the plastic bottles thrown into the seaa novelty that has combined fashion and new technologies, creating a selection of ecological fibers, ideal especially for the world of swimming and sports clothing.
“The commitment is to collaborate so that the fashion supply chain is increasingly sustainable – declares Stefano Ereti, general manager of Carvico – and who, like us, produces fabrics has a great responsibility. In a planet where water is an increasingly precious resource to do research to create fabrics that respect the sea is one of the objectives not to be underestimated ». Now, with a view to recovery and for environmental protection, cleaning of the seabed from plastics thanks to the collaboration with the NGO Ghost diving It has come to touch the most polluted coasts in the world, the Californian ones ».
I woman © RESERVED REPRODUCTION