Fruit of the Loom is extending its partnership with waste recycling firm Martex Fiber Southern Corp to expand its fabric waste recycling processes. The scheme will see the textile fabric waste streams from Fruit of the Loom’s US and Central American manufacturing plants recycled into useable products.
Martex claims to be the largest vertical processor of its kind, offering an in-house capacity to re-fiberise fabric waste and make raw fibre, which is then used in fill products, nonwoven or spinning applications. The company also converts recycled cotton fibre into yarn through its Jimtex Yarns operation based in Lincolnton Georgia.
Fruit of the Loom has been working with Martex for several years with existing waste-based fibres products used to insulate cars, fill mattresses or even go back into making new apparel fabrics.
“While we probably could have received more for single items on our waste list, selling all the waste to one vendor gives us the ultimate control over what happens after it leaves our factory,” said Ted Goolesby, Fruit of the Loom. “Martex Fiber has been a responsible partner of ours for many years. We appreciate their efforts to explore new markets for textile waste and together our efforts have led to many innovative materials.”
At the Jimtex plant, Martex takes waste from cut and sew operations, such as Fruit of the Loom’s t-shirt and underwear cuttings, and converts it back into a high quality cotton blend yarn. “The possibility for large scale apparel producers to actually take their own waste and have it processed back into yarn and then back into finished product is now a reality,” added the company’s Jimmy Jarrett.
Source
Ecotextile News, 2010-01-22.
Supplier
Fruit of the Loom
Jimtex Yarns
Martex Fiber Southern Corp.
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