Some materials are used once and then become waste. Others are able to turn the end of their life into a new beginning.
This is the idea behind Econyl®, the yarn developed by Aquafil, an Italian company and one of the world’s leading nylon manufacturers. Aquafil has created a regeneration system capable of transforming waste materials back into high-quality raw material.
Recovered fishing nets, end-of-life carpets, textile waste and industrial plastics are given a second life, becoming nylon once again without losing the properties that determine their performance and durability.
For Radici Carpet, this technology represents one of the clearest examples of the circular economy applied to textile flooring and an important step in the development of products designed with the future in mind.
This vision is what inspired the integration of Econyl® into some of our most innovative flooring solutions, designed to combine design, performance and circularity.
What Is Econyl?
Econyl® is a regenerated Nylon 6 yarn made entirely from recovered waste materials. At the heart of the system developed by Aquafil is an international collection network that recovers pre- and post-consumer waste that would otherwise end up in landfill or be dispersed into the environment.
The raw materials include discarded fishing nets recovered from the oceans, end-of-life carpets, textile waste and industrial plastics. Although very different in origin, these materials are carefully sorted, cleaned and transformed through an advanced regeneration process.
At the core of the Econyl® system is depolymerisation, a technology that restores Nylon 6 to its original raw material state. Unlike conventional mechanical recycling, which progressively degrades the material, this process produces nylon with the same quality and performance as virgin material.
In other words, nylon can be regenerated repeatedly without compromising its performance. It is precisely this capability that makes Econyl® one of the most promising materials for industries investing in the circular economy.
The Technical Characteristics of Econyl
Choosing a sustainable material does not mean compromising on performance. This is one of the reasons why Econyl® has become one of the most significant innovations in textile flooring.
Because it is made from Polyamide 6, the yarn retains all the technical characteristics that have made this material a benchmark in the contract sector: excellent wear resistance, outstanding resilience and the ability to withstand heavy foot traffic over time.
For these reasons, Econyl® has become one of the materials we select to develop textile flooring solutions that meet the demands of today’s contract market, where technical performance and sustainability are increasingly interconnected.
Why Econyl Matters for the Circular Economy
To fully understand the value of Econyl®, it is important to look beyond the individual product and consider the system that makes it possible.
Traditionally, many materials follow a linear path: production, use and disposal. Econyl®, by contrast, introduces a circular approach in which the material can be recovered, regenerated and reintroduced into the production cycle while maintaining its original properties.
Aquafil describes this approach as a regeneration system capable of continuously transforming Nylon 6 from waste into a new resource. A model that not only helps reduce waste but also decreases dependence on fossil-based raw materials.
In addition to recovering waste from the environment, this process significantly reduces the environmental impact of production. According to Aquafil, Econyl® can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared with conventional petroleum-based nylon.
Within this scenario, waste recovery is no longer simply a responsible practice but becomes an integral part of the manufacturing process and value creation. This vision also guides our commitment to developing textile flooring designed according to the principles of the circular economy.
Bloom Back: Carpet Designed to Be Regenerated
Circularity truly becomes tangible when it involves not only the yarn, but the entire product.
To turn these principles into a concrete solution, we developed Bloom Back, a textile flooring system designed according to eco-design principles and made with a single-material Polyamide 6 construction. Both the Econyl® yarn and the backing are made from the same material, simplifying the regeneration process at the end of the product’s life and supporting complete material recovery.
This approach stems from the desire to design products from the outset with future regeneration in mind. A philosophy perfectly expressed by Bloom Back through the concept “Born Regenerated to be Regenerable.”
Available both as a standard collection and as a bespoke solution, Bloom Back demonstrates that sustainability and performance can coexist without compromise. Comfort, acoustic performance, design freedom and attention to the product’s life cycle all become part of the same solution.
Environmental certifications and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) play an increasingly important role in supporting this approach, providing transparent information about a product’s environmental impact throughout its entire life cycle. In addition, selecting materials and solutions designed according to sustainability principles can contribute to earning credits under green building certification schemes such as LEED and WELL.
A New Way of Thinking About Materials
Fashion, automotive, interior design and textile flooring now share a common challenge: designing products that are built to last while generating less waste.
Econyl® is one of the most tangible answers to this challenge. It is more than a regenerated yarn. It represents a new way of thinking about materials, where the value of a product does not end when its first life cycle is over.
For Radici Carpet, integrating Econyl® into our flooring solutions means contributing to a more responsible model in which innovation, design and sustainability move in the same direction. Because the future of textile flooring is not only about what we create today, but also about the opportunity to regenerate it tomorrow.
