HeiQ, a textiles technology company based in Schlieren in the canton of Zurich, has agreed a strategic partnership focused on manufacturing the high-performance yarn AeoniQ with the Swedish company Renewcell. According to a press release, the Circulose pulp supplied by Renewcell, which is recovered from recycled textiles, is to be exclusively used to produce AeoniQ.
Initial tests using Circulose as the basis material for the production of HeiQ AeoniQ yarns were promising. Circulose is a branded, dissolvable pulp product that Renewcell makes from 100 percent textile waste, such as worn jeans and manufacturing waste. The difference between Circulose and traditional pulp is that it is made from textile waste rather than wood or cotton.
“Our 100% recycled textile pulp, Circulose, was born of the idea to do something better than dump or burn the millions of tonnes of waste this industry creates every year, while also decreasing the need for new high impact virgin materials”, comments Patrik Lundström, CEO of Renewcell, in the press release. The raw material for the HeiQ yarns is bio-based, biodegradable and offers a performance level akin to that of polyester or nylon.
“With Circulose as one source of feedstock for our HeiQ AeoniQ we will be rescuing tons of textiles from ending up in landfills and preserving our trees and forests”, explains Carlo Centonze, co-founder and CEO of HeiQ, in the press release.
HeiQ, a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), is headquartered at the IJZ, an innovation and start-up park located in Schlieren. The company is also a member of Start Smart Schlieren.