In September, Eastman, the US producer of sustainably sourced Naia
cellulosic fibre, introduced Naia Renew, a new traceable fibre with
certified biodegradability made using hard-to-recycle materials that would
otherwise go to landfills.
While the Naia and Naia Renew fibres are indistinguishable, the
processes to make them are not. Naia is made using 60 percent wood pulp and
40 percent acetic acid, which is sourced from fossil-based feedstocks. The
new Naia Renew fibre, however, uses certified recycled waste plastics as
its feedstock for acetic acid, which is generated via Eastman’s patented
carbon renewal technology (CRT).
Available as both a filament yarn and a staple fibre, Naia Renew is a
“truly circular solution”, according to Eastman, and was last month used
for the first time by Swedish fashion giant H&M in its new Conscious
Exclusive autumn/winter 2020 collection [pictured above].
FashionUnited spoke with Ruth Farrell, the global marketing director of
textiles for Eastman, about Naia Renew, its implications in circular
fashion, and the recent launch of Naia Renew in H&M’s Conscious Exclusive
collection.
Why do you think Naia Renew is so exciting for the fashion
industry?
Naia Renew is the exact same as Naia in terms of end quality but is
sourced from 60 percent wood pulp and 40 percent recycled plastics. With
that 40 percent, we are recycling a huge amount of waste plastics that
can’t be recycled through mechanical recycling.
There are plenty of companies recycling PET for example, but we are
recycling up to seven different complex plastic types through our carbon
renewal technology. The fact that we can recycle a wider range of plastics
also means we can do it at a larger scale, and therefore can genuinely
divert large amounts of waste from landfill.
How does Naia/Naia Renew shape up in terms of performance with more
established fibre alternatives?
The fibre itself is naturally breathable – Naia fabrics are up to twice
as breathable as nylons. It dries faster than nylon and viscose and as
quickly as polyester. The fabrics are also 25 percent cooler than
polyester. We’ve also really focused on the ease of care and durability
side. For example, fabrics with Naia have improved pilling performance, by
up to 20 percent on the Martindale Pilling test. Performance like this is
really important in terms of sustainability and this idea of ‘buy better,
last longer’.
We also spent a lot of time extending the versatility of the Naia
product. A lot of people think of acetate yarn as something silky and
luxurious you can design in a wedding dress or ball gown or lining. But it
can actually be hugely versatile, it can be used in crepes, jerseys, silks
and other fabric styles. We’re now focusing on womenswear; ready to wear
and also comfort everyday clothing and loungewear, which are all very
popular at the moment.
Naia Renew is made from 60 percent wood pulp and 40 percent recycled
plastics. Have you thought about changing these components or the
ratios?
Yes, we’ve already started tests using waste textiles as a feedstock in
our carbon renewal technology instead of the recycled plastics. We are
hoping to come to market soon with something.
Would you want the use of waste textiles to completely replace the
recycled plastics?
We will probably maintain both for now because there are a number of
complex elements to consider when bringing products to market. One of them
is the sourcing of plastics and of waste textiles – we want to ensure that
any waste we are sourcing is genuinely waste that is being diverted from
landfill or incineration while also sourcing as closely as possible to our
plant from an LCA perspective.
It’s also very complex in terms of the supply chain. We brought Naia
Renew to market at scale and we’d like to do the same when we bring waste
textiles to market – this isn’t a small investment from Eastman’s
perspective, it’s a major one.
Do you have plans to change the 60 percent wood pulp component?
Yes, we are looking at whether we can get pulp from other non-forest
areas, which is where waste textiles could again play a part. We have set a
goal to commercialise a next-generation fibre solution with non-wood-based
cellulosic pulp in 2021. We then want to progressively increase its
proportion in our portfolio. The goals are aggressive and ambitious and
this is the advantage of having the powerhouse of Eastman behind you.
What types of waste textiles could you use?
That’s what we’re figuring out at the moment. We will start with largely
polyester-based blends but our ultimate vision is to use as wide a range of
textiles as possible. I think that’s going to be hugely important because
fashion is a world of blends and that’s complex, so we need to be able to
manage that complexity.
H&M recently announced it was the first brand to use Naia Renew in its
Conscious Exclusive autumn/winter 2020 collection. Could you tell me a bit
about that tie-up?
H&M is a real sustainability champion that shares our vision at Eastman
to democratize sustainable fashion and make it accessible for all. We’ve
been working with H&M for the past few years and when we started talking
about this circular solution their team got really excited. We’ve been
working with them for the last few months on bringing it to market, which
you saw in the four-garments in their Conscious Exclusive Collection
launched in December.
It was very collaborative from the start, they really wanted to
understand what we were doing in the development process so they could
share their ideas and input. I think that is how things are right now in
the wider industry, as you start bringing new products to market there is a
real deep collaboration that starts very early on between brand partners to
make sure that what you’re developing has a very strong sustainability
profile but is also going to match the ultimate consumer needs.
Photo credit: H&M