Interview with Mauro Dallavalle

There is a general need from brand owners and yarn producers for sustainable solutions that can help them reduce their carbon footprint. Finding solutions to meet this growing need is one of the main trend drivers in the specialised materials industry.

One of the top sustainable trends seeing continued growth is using more recycled materials within textiles to reduce dependency on fossil-based resources – hence reducing the carbon footprint of textiles. This trend started several years ago with the use of post-consumer recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles to produce polyester fabrics. While this trend is still going strong, we are also now seeing an increase in the use of post-consumer recycled nylon, e.g., from fishing nets and recycled polypropylene yarns. These are all excellent ways to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As a premier provider of polymer solutions for synthetic fibres, we offer colourants and additives to dye recycled polyester, polyamide, and polypropylene yarns and formulations to help improve their processing.

However, there are additional methods to reduce GHG emissions within the textile industry that have not been explored as much as others. One of these methods is to change how yarns are dyed. Currently, bath-dyeing, which uses water and substantial amounts of energy, is the most common method used to dye yarns. The industry is making improvements to reduce the environmental impact of this dyeing method. But for certain synthetic yarns, there is another more sustainable dyeing technology called spin-dyeing or dope-dyeing. This dyeing technology uses no water and requires less energy than bath-dyeing technology. It is suitable for synthetic fibres that are extruded, which are mainly polyester, and polyamide (nylon). Compared to bath-dyeing, which involves producing the undyed yarn first and then dyeing it in a bath, spin-dyeing involves adding colour while manufacturing the yarn. This results in fewer steps from the raw material – polymer pellets – to the dyed yarn, reducing the energy needed. It is also a dry dyeing process that uses the colourant as concentrate (a.k.a. masterbatch) pellets and does not involve water or create wastewater. As a long-time provider of colourants for the spin-dyeing method, we see it as a good dyeing alternative for textile products that do not go through frequent colour changes, e.g., brand colours, evergreens, and technical textiles.

One of the main challenges we are currently facing is the extended supply chain starting from raw material producers and ending with the retailers and consumers. This is challenging in two ways: for providers of polymer colourants and additives like Avient to reach consumers and for consumers to understand what we do and what our solutions could offer to help them, especially regarding sustainability. Many consumers want to purchase more sustainable products but can only rely on the labels provided with the textile products or information given on the brands’ websites. Even for brand owners, knowing about all the solutions available to help reduce their carbon footprint or offer more sustainable products can be difficult. The best way to navigate this challenge is to foster constant communication among the different experts in the textile industry, from polymer producers, yarn producers, textile product manufacturers, and brand owners, to trade associations, certifying bodies, and sustainability certification providers. This is done through different channels. In some cases, you can reach out directly to a relevant contact. In other cases, you must build and foster relationships to find the best contact. Whatever the way, the challenge is worth it if it leads to more sustainable textile products.

One aspect that sets our fibre solutions apart is that our portfolio of polymer colourants covers the full spectrum of manufacturing technologies for polyester, polypropylene, and polyamide. We are basically a one-stop shop that can help meet the requirements of various textile applications. Whether the request is for nonwoven products, carpets, garments, or technical and automotive textiles, we can offer colour solutions – including black and white – that fulfil the technical and regulatory requirements of the end products. We can also help with additive solutions to enhance the performance and properties of yarns, e.g., incorporating fire or sunlight resistance, including antimicrobial properties, and making them softer, liquid-absorbent, or water-repellent. 

Our experience developing colour and performance-enhancing solutions for extruded fibres spans several decades. In addition, we have a global manufacturing footprint and benefit from the infrastructure of a major international corporation. All this gives us the tools from R&D, to sales, and post-sales support to help answer various material and supply challenges that may confront textile manufacturers and brand owners.

It is always helpful to read the latest magazine articles and studies on the textile industry to gather valuable information about the newest trends and innovations. But in the end, you must be in the market to know about the market. Creating genuine connections, building trust with different stakeholders along the supply chain, and listening to their needs are the keys to staying current on the latest trends and innovations. At Avient, we have teams dedicated to the fibre market in Asia, Europe, Middle East & Africa, North America, and Latin America. They communicate with their different business partners and follow regional trends. We carefully consider these regional specificities when developing our marketing strategy. 

The textile industry is intrinsically technically driven. One aspect that sets Avient fibre solutions apart is our understanding of all the processes involved, from performance demands to regulatory requirements, which is critical to producing high-quality yarns. In some applications, the yarns also need to fulfil crucial safety requirements. Our long-time experience in the fibre market gives us the know-how to understand all of these requirements and the ability to exchange with raw material producers, equipment manufacturers, and yarn producers as an expert-to-expert. These exchanges yield valuable information that we can then use to adapt our marketing strategy and product development. New colour and additive solutions can only be successful if raw materials are available to manufacture them, equipment is available to process them, and skilled people are available to use them on the equipment.