Recycled Polyester
To offer technical fabrics and membranes while minimizing their environmental impact, AYAQ has chosen to eco-design many collection pieces using recycled polyester.
This choice has many advantages.
Polyester is a synthetic fiber with numerous valuable properties: it is abrasion-resistant, absorbs little moisture, and provides excellent water and vapor wicking, resulting in highly breathable, technical fabrics.
This fiber dries quickly, resists light well, is rot-proof, and therefore durable over time.
BUT
Polyester is a synthetic fiber derived from plastic, produced from petroleum, which is a non-renewable resource with limited reserves. Its extraction is highly polluting at many stages of the supply and transport chain.
However, a more responsible and sustainable alternative exists: recycled polyester.
AYAQ uses recycled polyester made primarily from post-consumer plastic bottles in the vast majority of its collections. This gives a second life to a non-biodegradable material.
The technical properties of recycled polyester are similar to virgin polyester, but its production requires far fewer resources and less energy. There is no new crude oil extraction, CO2 emissions during recycling are significantly lower than virgin polyester production, and reusing this material reduces plastic waste in landfills and soils.
Chemical or mechanical?
There are two methods to produce recycled polyester: mechanical and chemical.
AYAQ has chosen to use mechanically recycled polyester: bottles are sorted, shredded into flakes, then melted without chemicals to form pellets. These pellets are heated and processed with precision machinery to create yarns.
Chemical recycling is faster but involves many environmentally harmful chemicals.
AYAQ has decided not to use chemically recycled polyester. Mechanical recycling consumes much less energy and resources than virgin or chemically recycled polyester.
The NewLife™ yarn, predominantly used in our products, guarantees the same performance and quality as virgin yarn. Its unique production process significantly reduces CO2 emissions (-32%), water use (-94%), and energy consumption (-64%), helping combat climate change.
The main environmental limitation of polyester and recycled polyester: plastic microfibers.
Like all polyesters and petroleum-based fibers, recycled polyester releases plastic microfibers, mainly during washing. These microparticles escape into wastewater and potentially enter natural water systems.
To address this, AYAQ uses recycled polyester only when it adds real technical performance and durability value to the garment.
To reduce microfiber release during washing, AYAQ recommends using a special washing bag, such as the “Guppyfriend.” Washing polyester (including recycled polyester or other petroleum-based fibers) garments inside this bag, designed to capture plastic microparticles, limits friction that causes pilling and reduces microfiber leakage into the environment. A responsible choice for both the planet and your gear!
