By
Laura Hyde |
The use of more sustainable materials in marine interiors is on the rise as more products become available on the market. Aquafil, a global manufacturer of nylon 6, through its Born Regenerated to be Regenerable (R2R) project, aims to reduce the environmental impact of carpet in the maritime sector. This initiative focuses on how carpets are designed and manufactured, thereby implementing the ‘design for recycling’ concept, as well as addressing their end-of-life management.
“There is a vast amount of carpet waste generated by cruise ships, which typically ends up in landfill or incinerators due to the complexity of separating materials for recycling, the lack of recycling facilities and poor reverse logistics infrastructure; the R2R project was created to tackle this,” explains Cristina Stefani, marketing strategist for circularity projects at Aquafil. “The R2R project involves close collaboration with carpet manufacturers to ensure every component chosen for manufacturing the carpet is compatible compatible for recycling with Aquafil’s ECONYL chemical regeneration plant. A key requirement for a carpet to be R2R is a significant part of its pile must be made from ECONYL nylon – a true circular material. On the one hand, ECONYL is produced entirely from waste, such as discarded fishing nets, fabric scraps and old carpets; on the other hand, it can be regenerated infinitely, without ever compromising quality.”
Each R2R carpet, for marine applications, must also be certified by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The cross-functional team representing Aquafil, AIDA Cruises, and Radici Marine
Aquafil recently teamed up with Italian carpet manufacturer Radici Marine to create textile flooring for AIDAdiva, which was the first AIDA ship to undergo refurbishment as part of the cruise line’s Evolution programme (read more about the project on page 68).
“AIDA Cruises has been the first cruise line to firmly believe in the R2R programme, opening the doors for Aquafil to this innovative project,” says Stefani. “They proved to be true early adopters, especially considering how the cruise industry, with its long-standing tradition, has historically always used wool 80/20 carpet instead. The introduction of a new product like carpet in nylon 6 can lead to an understandable scepticism towards a less familiar solution and can raise initial doubts, but Aida Cruises overcame these doubts and placed their trust in the R2R programme, prioritising a genuine circularity project, without compromising on either quality or performance.”
Radici Marine supplied 7,000 square metres of R2R Bloom Back carpet in the crew area, for corridors, cabins and offices. During the vessel’s next refurbishment, in a few years, this carpet will be uninstalled and delivered to Aquafil to be recycled. As part of its Evolution programme, AIDA Cruises plans to install more R2R carpets in upcoming refurbishments.
“The project with AIDA marks a significant milestone in the collaboration between Radici Marine and Aquafil, a partnership strengthened over the years and based on a shared vision of responsible innovation and circularity,” says Riccardo Valoti, sales director Europe at Radici Marine. “Bloom Back was created with this goal in mind: to make circularity traceable, verifiable and fully integrated into industrial processes. The project on AIDAdiva also included the application of Allerad, an anti-allergen treatment developed by Radici to improve indoor air quality.”
Radici Marine supplied 7,000 square metres of R2R Bloom Back carpet in the crew area, for corridors, cabins and offices onboard AIDA Cruises’ AIDAdiva
Another key player in the chain is Oceancircle, a company offering sustainable waste management for the cruise industry by collecting and processing discarded materials into valuable resources within a circular economy model.
For this project, Oceancircle recovered, collected and handled the installation scraps, segregating and processing them on-site to reduce volume, and minimise transportation impact before delivering them to Aquafil for recycling. The success of the AIDA project is a true testament to the power of teamwork: it was the unwavering dedication of everyone involved – from AIDA Cruises to Oceancircle, to the teams at Aquafil and Radici Marine – that brought this vision to life.
“When all the decision makers, including architects, prescribers and project managers are fully engaged from the very beginning, working hand in hand toward a shared goal, extraordinary things can happen. This is why we are actively engaging with additional key players and decision makers to expand awareness and truly embrace circularity.”
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