Flooring manufacturer Tarkett (Paris / France; www.tarkett.com) and polyamide specialist Aquafil (Arco / Italy; www.aquafil.com) have partnered on recycling carpet tiles. The French company has presented its recycling centre and new production line for carpet tiles containing “EcoBase” backing – representing a total investment of EUR 15m – at its plant in Waalwijk / The Netherlands. The Waalwijk facility can disassemble the carpet tiles into two key components – polyamide 6 yarn and backing.

Post-consumer carpet tiles are collected through Tarkett’s “ReStart” programme, and the high-purity yarn (95%) is then sent to Aquafil, which transforms it into its “Econyl” recycled PA 6 yarn. Tarkett said it has also increased capacity to produce its EcoBase carpet backing. The French company estimates that compared to incineration, carpets made of Econyl yarn and EcoBase backing can deliver “up to 84% CO₂ savings.”

Myriam Tryjefaczka, Tarkett’s sustainability director EMEA, told Plasteurope.com the company’s Waalwijk site is a former Desso plant. Tarkett acquired Desso in 2014.

Aquafil has supplied Tarkett with PA 6 and Econyl rPA 6 yarn for more than 10 years. The Italian company has a carpet recycling site in Phoenix, Arizona / USA, with another site for the recovery, separation and pelletising of carpet fluff in Woodland, California / USA. The PA 6 material is then depolymerised at its Econyl facility in Ljubljana / Slovenia. Aquafil also produces chemically recycled PET that is suitable for food-contact applications – see Plasteurope.com of 25.10.2019.