To close the loop, you have to be able to take used goods back and recycle or reuse the materials. To achieve this you must:
We list below some the milestones in our journey to closing the loop, bringing us closer to our 2020 Cradle to Cradle® vision.
Millions of square metres of worn-out carpet are thrown away every year, often burned or dumped at landfill sites, leading to the destruction of valuable raw materials. In 2008, Desso launched its Take Back™ programme and one year later, developed an innovative separation technique called DESSO Refinity ® .
Through Refinity® we take back old carpets (provided they don't contain PVC) and separate the yarn and other fibres from the backing. This creates two main material streams: the yarn which is sent back to our suppliers for recycling and the bitumen (currently the most common material for carpet backing), which is sold to the road and roofing industry. All non-recyclable fractions are used as secondary fuel in the cement industry.
Those who send back carpets and participate in our programme receive a Take Back™ certificate as a guarantee that the material is recycled according to Cradle to Cradle® principles.
One of our suppliers, Aquafil has developed proprietary technology to recycle old Polyamide 6 yarn from used carpets into new material known as ECONYL® over and over again.
Today, Over 50% of our carpet range is available with ECONYL® yarn. ECONYL® is a yarn which is made from 100% regenerated nylon including post-consumer yarn waste from DESSO's Refinity® plant.