HeiQ presents circular yarn

HeiQ has announced the launch of its new sustainable yarn, HeiQ AeoniQ. It is manufactured without environmental impact and can be reused multiple times. The press release refers to this as a “potential game-changer for the textile industry”. According to the company, which is headquartered in the Greater Zurich Area, the yarn also meets the requirements for Cradle to Cradle, a circular economy principle.

HeiQ AeoniQ yarns can be used several times while maintaining the fiber quality. Unlike synthetic and other types of fiber such as cotton, which take many years to degrade in landfills, they present no environmental impact due to their recyclability. According to the press release, HeiQ AeoniQ yarns are manufactured using cellulosic biopolymers that bind carbon from the atmosphere during growth while simultaneously creating oxygen, so they are in fact climate positive. The manufacturing process uses 99 percent less water than cotton yarns.

The American company Lycra based in Wilmington NC is HeiQ’s development partner for this project. Both companies only agreed on a collaboration in July. The first HeiQ AeoniQ yarns from pilot production are to be delivered in the second quarter of 2022. According to the press release, HeiQ is inviting up to 20 sustainability-driven brand partners to be the first to bring products to market using the game-changing yarn.

HeiQ Group Co-founder and CEO Carlo Centonze is quoted in the press release, saying: “Climate change needs new inventions. By bringing HeiQ AeoniQ yarn to the textile industry, we will reduce our dependence on oil-based fibers, help decarbonize our planet and reduce the impact of the industry on climate change.”

HeiQ is a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH).