RECOSYS® rPET is a recycled granulate that emerges as a valuable new raw material from LEONHARD KURZ's in-house RECOSYS® 2.0 recycling process. The classic applications for RECOSYS® rPET are in the plastics sector. LEONHARD KURZ has now gone beyond its use in plastics applications and found a new area of application – the textile industry. With the design of a visionary jersey made from rPET yarn, KURZ shows how it is possible to bring into series production aesthetically appealing, high-quality textiles for sportswear made from recycled yarn.
Technical textiles made from RECOSYS® rPET from LEONHARD KURZ are already being used in automotive interiors. The fact that yarn made from rPET is now also being used in sportswear is news that is particularly striking in terms of sustainability. KURZ presented the visionary jersey for the first time at K 2025 in Düsseldorf.
The light blue jersey is a prototype that impressively combines modern textile design, recycled polymer granulate, and precise surface finishing. The sublimated pattern and silver hot stamping finish specially designed for textiles give the light blue fabric a very individual look. The yarn specialist Technofibres and the expert for specialized textiles Hero Textil were involved in the project. First, KURZ's RECOSYS® rPET was processed by Technofibres into a stable and robust yarn. In the next step, our cooperation partner Hero Textil used the yarn to produce the jersey. For finishing, the striking pattern was first sublimated, then the KURZ logo was applied, and the silvery metallic finish was hot stamped. The finishing and design of the jersey exemplify the possibilities for using textiles made from RECOSYS® rPET in the fashion industry in the future. The jersey also highlights the potential of recycled granulate. KURZ is currently working on scaling solutions to make the RECOSYS® 2.0 recycling process usable for larger production volumes in the future.
With RECOSYS®, KURZ was the first company in the industry to create a take-back and recycling system for transfer carriers from the graphics industry – a milestone in sustainability. The further development, RECOSYS® 2.0, now goes one step further: For the first time, surplus transfer carriers from the graphics industry can be converted into pure rPET. This recycled material opens up a wide range of applications in various industries – from high-quality packaging for everyday products to innovative applications in textile design. With this project, KURZ is once again moving closer to its vision of a complete circular economy
For our customers, participating in our recycling program has a measurable, positive effect in terms of environmental awareness. The process has been proven to reduce Scope 3 emissions by up to 90 percent, thereby improving the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF). Companies that participate in our recycling program receive a recycling certificate from an independent environmental verification organization. This goes hand in hand with transparency along the entire supply chain – a clear plus for sustainable business practices.
Further information about RECOSYS® rPET and its possible applications can be found on our website Plastic Decoration: RECOSYS® rPET Recycling.
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