The Italian Fashion Textile company, Ratti and Freudenberg Performance Materials have been working together on sustainability projects since the beginning of the year. The partners have developed a process for reusing silk textiles and utilising it for the manufacturing of high-performance thermal insulation. Ratti is currently on its way to bring this to market. Freudenberg is contributing to the sustainable development of the clothing and textile industry.

Freudenberg and Ratti have started re-using silk textiles from their own industry. Ratti re-uses silk textiles (outer fabrics/clothing) and Freudenberg uses this textile to produce thermal insulation made from 70% re-used silk, which is then marketed by Ratti. 

Freudenberg´s solvent-free manufacturing system assigned for the wadding significantly reduces the environmental impact of the new process. Jonathan Oh, the general manager at Freudenberg Performance Materials Apparel, stated that their partnership with Ratti has proved what joint innovation work can achieve. He added that seeing excellent results they have decided to make a valuable contribution to extending the scope of sustainability within the textile industry.

Freudenberg has provided the most extensive technology platform in the nonwoven industry. This has enabled the company to provide sustainable solutions for a wide range of applications as they are the leading supplier of technical textiles. The Airlaid technology plays an important role in the re-use of silk textiles, enabling Freudenberg to produce waddings with a three-dimensional structure from this material. This results in the formation of multiple air chambers, this gives the padding excellent thermal insulation properties combined with exceptional breathability. The combination of high dimensional stability and wash resistance makes wadding made from 70% re-used silk textiles the best choice environmentally conscious outdoor enthusiasts.