Wellman International – Win 2011 Green Award

April 27, 2011 - PRLog -- These National Awards, in their fourth year, were initiated through the Irish Department of the Environment, the purpose of which is to celebrate excellence in sustainability and to encourage best practice among organisations and individuals alike.
Wellman International’s entry centred on their ‘flake to fibre’ process, which involves the production of fibre products using plastic bottles as its raw material source.  Wellman,  which utilise 1.6 billion plastic bottles annually in the production of their fibre, is Europe’s largest recycler of  PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles and is also the leading European producer of polyester staple fibre products. Applications for which Wellman fibre is used are diverse, ranging from home furnishings and personal care items such as baby diapers to applications for technical applications such as automotive, insulation and filtration products.
The Wellman entry was strongly supported by an independent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study,  undertaken at Utrecht University in conjunction with Adidas and Lenzing Fibres.  Findings of this study concluded that Wellman International fibre made from rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate), has a 76% lower carbon footprint than fibre made from virgin polyester. Production of Wellman International rPET fibre also uses 86% less non renewable energy, depletes mineral resources by 85% less than virgin polyester and releases 82% less acid rain causing causes and 76% less euthrophication-causing substances. It also results in the release of 81% less photochemical oxidant forming chemicals.  According to Wellmans Managing Director, Frank Gleeson ‘This accreditation is particularly important to us as it recognises that Wellman pursue a genuine and validated sustainability agenda, one which not only has a positive impact upon the environment but the benefits of which can be passed on to our customers and in turn to the consumer’.
Wellman can also offer full traceability of raw materials and opportunities to participate in ‘Closed Loop™’ partnerships, which can facilitate the recovery of 100% polyester components from end-of-life products, and so enhance the sustainability of customer processes and products
For more information please contact Celene Rafferty, Product Manager at Wellman International (+353 (0) 46 9280200 or visit wellman-intl.com


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Wellman International (www.wellman-intl.com)

Wellman International is Europe's largest producer of high quality polyester staple fibres. Based in County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Wellman has pioneered the use of recycled post-consumer PET drinks bottles as a raw material source, processing >1.6 billion bottles annually. Wellman also undertakes its own recycling of post-consumer bottles at plants in the Netherlands and France.

Wellman has evolved from a production capacity at its foundation in 1971 of 5,000 tonne of fibre each year to a current annual capacity of 85,000 tonne. This expansion has been in response to significant growth in the European markets for polyester in fibrefill and non-woven applications and also to an ongoing investment programme which has enabled Wellman to consistently deliver an innovative, high performance product range.

We are confident that our development of new fibre products to meet changing market needs, coupled with strong customer partnerships based on mutual respect, and the growing desire of European customers for materials made from recycled sources, provide strong foundations for continuing commercial success.