Even more sustainable: Freudenberg presents Evolon® made from post-consumer recycled PET
Weinheim, 29 June, 2021. With Evolon® RE, Freudenberg Performance Materials (Freudenberg) is now offering its customers an even more sustainable version of its high-performance microfilament textiles. Evolon® RE is manufactured from an average of 70% recycled polyester, which the company makes by recycling post-consumer PET bottles in-house. Evolon® RE is available for various applications, including high-tech wiping and technical packaging, in weights currently ranging from 80g/sqm to 300g/sqm. Evolon® RE offers the same high and constant quality as all other Evolon® textiles. This applies to mechanical and textile properties as well as to filtration, cleaning and protection properties.
The use of recycled materials in the demanding production of Evolon® textiles without sacrificing product performance underlines Freudenberg´s technological know-how, as Jean-Francois Kerhault, Business Segment Manager Evolon, explains: “We have more than 20 years of experience with Evolon® technology. Our technical teams are real experts in this demanding process, and it is thanks to their knowledge that we were able to overcome the challenge of integrating recycled PET from post-consumer bottles into our products.”
Recycle, but also reuse and reduce
Evolon® fabrics are very durable in most applications. The products are washable and re-usable and a very good substitute for disposable solutions. For example, high-tech Evolon® cleaning cloths offer an unrivalled cleaning performance even after hundreds of washings. Technical packaging materials can be reused throughout the entire production program of a car model. What is more: Evolon® fabrics are lightweight, which saves raw materials compared to most existing conventional products.
Constant drive toward ever-greater sustainability
Since Evolon® was launched in 1999, Freudenberg has continuously increased the sustainability of both the product and its production process. For example, no solvents or chemical binders are used during the manufacture of Evolon®. In 2003, the company set up an internal reprocessing system for hydroentanglement water and was an early adopter of ISO 50001 in 2012. Thanks to its certified energy management system, Freudenberg is also able to continuously reduce its CO2 emissions. The production of Evolon® from post-consumer recycled polyester represents a new milestone in the efforts to increase sustainability.
Recycling pioneer Freudenberg
Freudenberg was one of the first companies in Europe to recycle used PET bottles, beginning in the early 1990s. Today, the company utilizes around 7 million PET bottles a day in the manufacture of polyester nonwovens.
By recycling PET bottles, Freudenberg is utilizing waste as a raw material. On the one hand, this helps to reduce the burden of landfilling and incineration. On the other, replacing primary raw materials by recycled polyester of the same quality saves natural resources. It also reduces energy consumption, resulting in less CO2 emissions, waste and waste water.
About Freudenberg Performance Materials
Freudenberg Performance Materials is a leading global supplier of innovative technical textiles for a broad range of markets and applications such as apparel, automotive, building interiors, building materials, healthcare, energy, filter media, shoe and leather goods as well as specialties. In 2020, the company generated sales of more than €1 billion, had 33 production sites in 14 countries around the world and had some 5.000 employees. Freudenberg Performance Materials attaches great importance to social and ecological responsibility as the basis for its business success. For more information, please visit www.freudenberg-pm.com
The company is a Business Group of Freudenberg Group. In 2020, the Freudenberg Group employed more than 48,000 people in some 60 countries worldwide and generated sales of more than €8.8 billion. For more information, please visit www.freudenberg.com
