The Lycra Company presented its latest developments in textile-to-textile recycling and sweat-masking technology at the 65th Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress, held from September 16 to 18 in Dornbirn, Austria.

Alberto Ceria, technical product manager at The Lycra Company, presented the company’s textile-to-textile recycling platform. The initiative aims to turn elastane from a material that can make textile recycling more difficult into a recoverable and valuable resource.

The platform is based on cooperation between recyclers, textile mills, brands and technology developers. It is designed to work with mechanical, chemical, enzymatic and other emerging recycling methods. According to the company, the approach provides a framework that can help expand textile-to-textile recycling across the industry.

In a second presentation, Nicholas Kurland, product development director for advanced concepts at The Lycra Company, discussed the development of Coolmax CloakFX fiber. Introduced earlier this year and now commercially available, the technology is designed to reduce the visible appearance of sweat on fabrics while also providing moisture management to help keep the wearer cool.

The GRS-certified fiber is now produced using 100 percent recycled polyester. The company said the development offers brands a material that combines long-lasting comfort and performance with a lower environmental impact.