Emerging Pathways for Post-Consumer Nylon 6,6 Recycling
Nylon 6,6 is built for strength, durability and performance. Recycling it requires the same level of innovation. Cindy McNaull, CORDURA® Business Development Director, recently shared INVISTA’s perspective with California Apparel News on emerging pathways for post-consumer nylon 6,6 recycling. It’s one example of how our teams are applying material science to long-term stewardship challenges and future market needs.
Q: What early stage advanceme
nt, innovation or developing technology gives you hope for a sustainable future in fashion?
Sustainability—or stewardship as we prefer to call it—is about doing what’s right, for our people, our communities and the environments surrounding our facilities around the world.
The innovation that gives us hope is the emerging science of chemical recycling for post-consumer Nylon 6,6—a material known for its extraordinary performance but is historically difficult to recycle. We’re supporting two distinct pathways: an internal alcohol-based solutioning process that can recover up to 90 percent of Nylon 6,6 from end-of-life materials and an external collaboration with Epoch Biodesign, a pioneer in AI-engineered enzymatic-recycling technology that has already demonstrated recovery of nylon’s core monomers from end-of-life airbags.
What excites us isn’t just the technology—it’s the potential to create a true circular system for one of fashion’s most durable, high-performance fibers. Understanding the market needs, we know that any solution must be price-competitive with virgin polymer, use resources wisely and reach commercialization quickly. We believe durability and recyclability aren’t in conflict—they’re the future of fashion done right.
"What excites us isn’t just the technology—it’s the potential to create a true circular system for one of fashion’s most durable, high-performance fibers."