'No Fiber Left Behind' stresses importance of ZERO Landfill

02 Jul '11

3 min read

Martex Fiber Southern Corp. (MFSC), Spartanburg, SC, unveiled its new campaign to stress the importance of ZERO Landfill and support the idea that waste reinvention is possible in the USA. Dr Steven Chu, US Secretary of Energy sums up Martex's new credo by stating that "Going forward, we want to see these things not only invented in America; we want to see them built in America and it's that combination of invented in the U.S., built in the U.S., and sold worldwide that is going to be the heart of our future."

Martex is putting these goals to action with new product development and plant expansions. The firm is challenging every textile mill to reconsider its textile waste and make sure that "No Fiber [is] Left Behind.” It is helping companies to understand what is possible with their waste streams, both ensuring that all materials are actually getting recycled into a product while no materials inadvertently go to the landfill, and potentially creating a new source of revenue for that waste. As the people who work for Martex often say, “Your waste is our raw material.”

MFSC is known for its collection of unnecessary, waste clippings and salvages from new apparel and upholstery manufacturing in the US and Central America. With large collection and processing facilities in Spartanburg, SC, fabrics are deconstructed and fibers blended into a variety of custom fiber mixes that can be put back into industrial processes such as blowing, needlepunch and spunlace. Many of the recycled fiber applications are still domestic, supporting automotive, bedding, nonwoven and furniture markets. Another use for cotton apparel waste is refiberization for yarn spinning. Martex Fiber takes the fiber full circle, creating ECO2cotton yarns which are spun domestically in Lincolnton, GA.

In the next 2 years, MFSC's corporate goal is to increase its waste collection efforts from 110 million lbs per year to 150 million lbs per year. To meet this goal, the company has begun increasing its recycling capacity by 50%. This summer, the firm will add 25% more jobs and 50% more equipment to its Lincolnton, Georgia yarn spinning facility. The firm is also adding 50% more capacity in its recycling operation in Spartanburg, SC.

“Initiating new product development will be our primary goal”, stated Jimmy Jarrett, president of MFSC. "We will continue to make sure that brokers and dealers are not cherry picking for the high priced waste items and leaving the rest to landfill." MFSC is looking to find new uses of textile waste and offering its re-fiberized textiles and recycled yarn to many customers who now are looking for ecological alternatives.

Martex is also challenging its suppliers and customers with their NO FIBER LEFT BEHIND program, advocating the certified re-claimation of all textile waste streams and pursuing "360 degree recycling", where companies find new uses for their own textile waste.

All Martex Fiber products are SCS certified for recycled content and made in the USA.

Founded in 1970, Martex Fiber is proud to be an innovator in the field of textile recycling. Spurred on by the national awareness of recycling, Martex has expanded to offer customers textile waste removal services, reprocessed textile fiber, waste by-products, and wholesale wiping rags as well as open-end spun Jimtex Yarn made mostly from recycled textiles.

Martex Fiber Southern Corp (MFSC)

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