MEET REVOLVE™: AN INNOVATION IN THE CLEANROOM INDUSTRY
The Revolve™ line of cleanroom products by Texwipe® (patent pending) is an evolutionary innovation in the way polyester wipers are manufactured.
Polyester (commonly referred to as PET) was first introduced to the consumer in 1951. Texwipe introduced one of the first knit polyester wipers, AlphaWipe®, to the cleanroom industry in 1982.
Since then, polyester has been accepted as the cleanest yarn used to make wipers, swabs and mops for controlled and cleanroom environments due to its outstanding performance characteristics.
Until the introduction of the Revolve™ line of wipers, the polyester yarn has always been manufactured from virgin material. In contrast, the Revolve™ line of cleanroom wipers is made from post-consumer polyester yarn (also referred to as rPET) made by upcycling polyester water bottles.
Texwipe did extensive research on the performance characteristics of rPET-made polyester compared to virgin polyester material. The rPET materials were processed through Texwipe’s manufacturing lines and demonstrated equivalent properties as virgin material.
With these results, a new line of products was born, culminating in the launch of Revolve™ products.
HOW REVOLVE™ WAS MADE
The polyester yarn used to make Revolve™ products is derived from post-consumer bottles. The bottles are collected and sent to the recycling center where they are sorted, cleaned, ground, repolymerized into chip, and extruded to make the REPREVE™ yarn. Texwipe uses the REPREVE™ yarn to make the wiper fabric and then further cleans it to meet Texwipe’s standards for the cleanroom industry.
Using the upcycled yarn substantially reduces the consumption of natural resources and thus lessen the carbon footprint.
HOW REVOLVE™ HELPS THE ENVIRONMENT
Being upcycled polyester, Revolve™ contributes to the global effort to reduce landfill waste and natural resource use. Diverting discarded bottles to make yarn and ultimately fabric, reduces landfill waste, soil contamination, air, and water pollution.
Every bag of Revolve™ product indicates the number of bottles used to make it.
For example, 47 water bottles are required to make one bag of TX1709 wipers. The number of bottles may seem large but that is because there is not much polyester in a bottle to be made into yarn.
Also, Texwipe does not add any other types of yarn into the fabric.
The Revolve™ wipers are made using upcycled polyester yarn only.
HOW REVOLVE™ MAY IMPACT YOUR COMPANY’S SUSTAINABILITY GOALS
As part of of the EPA’s Reduce, Reuse and Recycle sustainability program (www.epa.gov/recycle), bottles made from virgin polyester are reused and upcycled through the REPREVE® recycling process to make the yarn used in the Revolve™ products, keeping these bottles from undergoing disposal in landfills. The polyester yarn is used one more time compared to normal practice. As part of the Revolve™ products, the number of drink bottles that were upcycled to make each bag of wipers or mop product will be marked on the bag. (Table 1) Table 1: Chart detailing the number of upcycled bottles per bag of wipers or mop product and the GHG savings. The GHG savings are related to the wiper’s basis weight and size.
Currently, the technology does not yet exist to enable the used Revolve™ products to be recycled to make the process truly circular; however, the polyester polymer has been used one more time compared to normal practice, saving on energy usage, water usage and Green House Gases (GHG) emissions. Spent wipers and mops must undergo the usual disposal process because of the contaminants that have been introduced during use.
Innovation surrounds us and the Revolve™ products are no different. The Revolve™ line of products extends the trusted assurance of Texwipe® performance to meet your critical cleaning needs.