Bella-Dura™: The Environmental Perspective

Bella-Dura™ is the leading environmentally responsible fabric option in the marketplace. In fact, you could call it the environmental champion of all synthetic fibers. It is the only fiber on the market, synthetic or natural, that begins as a by-product of post-industrial waste and ends its life as a fully recyclable product. Bella-Dura requires substantially less energy to manufacture, uses only a small amount of water during its manufacturing process and produces no harmful industrial waste.

Using innovative, engineered, proprietary yarn technology, Bella-Dura yarn is made of a by-product from the petroleum refining process, thus reducing the need for virgin material. The very processing of Bella-Dura salvages a by-product that would otherwise be incinerated, preventing further environmental contamination.

The process of forming synthetic fibers like nylon or polyester involves using virgin raw materials. Any off-quality product created from the manufacturing process of these fibers is set aside for recycled product. Thus, often what is deemed a “recycled product” is really an off-quality product made from virgin raw materials.

In addition, nylon and polyester require more energy to produce, and processing is much more complex (i.e., production may involve disposal issues pertaining to potentially harmful chemicals). These products are also more difficult to recycle at the end of their useful lives.

Bella-Dura is recycled from the start, utilizing post-industrial waste from an already existing manufacturing source and creating a useable product, not a product made from rejected virgin materials. Bella-Dura has inherent high-performance attributes and is easily and readily recyclable.

Cradle-to-Cradle™
Bella-Dura fabrics have achieved a Silver certification and are classified as “preferred products” by MBDC (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry). A limited but presently expanded color-line has achieved Gold certification through MBDC. These certifications confirm that Bella-Dura meets or exceeds MBDC’s strict standards for human and environmental health, environmentally preferable materials, strategy for renewable energy, and a comprehensive material re-utilization program.

Recyclability
Bella-Dura is fully recyclable at the completion of its useful life. All Bella-Dura yarn and fabric can be safely and easily recycled and converted into inert black plastic resin pellets that can be used in a myriad of products and industries. These pellets offset the need for virgin plastic pellets and are usually more cost-effective than virgin products without compromising performance. Bella-Dura’s recycle stream is a closed loop. It begins as a by-product and ends as a usable product for manufacturing of many common goods, which is far different and more beneficial than traditional waste streams.

How it Works
Bella-Dura yarn and fabrics that are sent back to the yarn manufacturer are inserted into a recycle stream for regenerated products that use energy-saving manufacturing practices to produce a variety of different products:

Automotive: Recycled Bella-Dura would be a material of choice for black, hard plastic automotive parts due to its inherent strength, light weight and sunlight resistance:
- Interior: door handles, radio/CD bezels, seat motion handles
- Underhood: air filter housings, radiator fan housings

Geotextile markets: Truck bedliners and wastewater liners

Horticulture markets: Flowerpots for retail distribution, synthetic pine straw and weed block fabrics

Filtration market: Water filters and filtration fabrics