The first circular nylon 6 based entirely on textile waste

Textile-to-textile recycling with loopamid® from BASF

92 million tons of textile waste and counting. This is a disaster in two ways – pollution and waste of resources. BASF is turning the problem into a solution and transforming textile waste into a valuable resource. We transform used textiles into new garments.

Improving circularity in the fashion industry

With the launch of loopamid®, a polyamide 6 (PA6, also known as nylon 6) made exclusively from textile waste and fully recyclable, BASF offers the first circular solution for nylon garments. With loopamid®, BASF has developed an innovative solution to improve circularity in the fashion industry.

High-quality materials from PA6

As the technology tolerates all fabric blends, including blends of PA6 and elastane, it enables efficient textile-to-textile recycling of industrial textile waste and used clothing over several cycles. At the same time, the material properties are identical to those of conventional polyamide.

Brand-new polyamides from recycled materials

The recycling of PA6 involves several steps in which old textiles are converted into new polyamide fibers. In the process, the textile waste is shredded, and the polymers are broken down into their molecular building blocks, the monomers, during depolymerization. These can then be purified, reassembled, and used for the production of new plastics.