Duvaltex and Steelcase develops sustainable upholstery using marine plastics

A new option for sustainable upholstery has been developed by the partnership of the SEAQUAL Initiative with Duvaltex and Steelcase. This commercial textile is developed for the partitions and acoustic panels for the furniture company and is partially made using recycled plastics. The textile is formulated as the Clean Impact Textiles of Duvaltex. This innovation has a positive environmental impact as marine plastics are used as raw material and on top of that, the manufacturing process is also eco-friendly.

The product is made using 69.7% of recycled post-consumer polyester along with SEAQUAL yarn which holds the Global Recycled Standard certification. The Duvaltex company is well known for using safe chemicals during the production process and is renowned for sustainable textile manufacturing. Along with this, it also holds California’s Prop 65. SEAQUAL’s OEKO-TEX certification further certifies that the product is non-toxic and no harmful substances used in the fibers.

Around half a pound of general marine waste is removed from the ocean for the manufacturing of 1 pound of the fabric which implies that it also leads to the reduction of waste. Through the SEAQUAL partnership, the fishing industry requires an additional line of business for harvesting marine plastic for the production of fabric.

The Association for Contract Textiles certifies the performance of the finished fabric after it meets its NSF/ANSI 336 standards for sustainable products. All the production processes such as weaving, dyeing, and finishing are done using renewable energy to minimize the consumption of water and energy. As per the U.S. Green Building Council, the products also contribute to the LEED credits of the project since the product contains recycled content.