YKK partners with Empel to debut recycling-compatible zipper
Zipper manufacturing giant YKK has revealed a new water-repellent zipper that has been designed to be compatible with garment recycling systems in a bid to remove barriers of textile-to-textile recycling and therefore reduce waste.
The use of such a material avoids the implementation of polyurethane film commonly used for zippers and are unable to be processed through conventional garment recycling processes, requiring for the zipper to be removed from garments prior to recycling. Empel instead puts to use “green chemistry” to make its own material, which is said to remain highly resistant to abrasion with a durable layer created through molecular cross-linking.
In a release, Terry Tsukumo, vice president, product strategy division, global sales headquarters for YKK, said: “DynaPel represents a new generation of sustainable, high-performance water-repellant zippers. It is the future of water protection for zippers.”
DynaPel zippers were showcased at the Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City and will be featured at the ISPO trade fair in Munich, Germany. Notably, DynaPel has been nominated for the Best New Product Award in the ISPO Textrends competition held at ISPO.
