Poole Company develops new biodegrable fiber from recycled PET bottles

The Poole Company, a textile fiber company and is now one of the leading distributors of recycled fibers and virgin polyester fibers. It has developed a biodegradable fiber made entirely of recycled plastic bottles, most commonly used for water and soft drink bottles.

The fiber, called EcoSure BioBlast, is designed to be biodegradable in oxygen-deficient environments like landfills. In tests run by a New Mexico lab, the fiber was 72.5 percent biodegraded within a year, which is 12 times faster than traditional nonwoven fibers used for household wipes, the company said.

The shelf life of the fiber is not affected by the accelerated biodegradation capabilities, said Poole technical director Joe McFayden. The fiber is designed to decompose in the landfill setting, where there is typically very little oxygen.

EcoSure BioBlast is made for consumers who want to wipe – and throw away – and feel good about their decision to do so. The fabric is designed for use in household wipes, including baby wipes.

“Recycling only goes so far,” company president Bynum Poole said in the release. Consumers have no choice but to throw away things like single-use counter wipes and diapers because there are not proper recycling facilities, receptacles or processes to repurpose a used or soiled wipe.

In landfills, the company’s new product will degrade quickly and help the waste return the organic components back to the earth.
The company is planning a second stage of development to make the fiber completely dispersable, flushable and able to be processed by water treatment facilities.

The Poole Company is headquartered in Greenville, SC and has a 400,000 sq. ft. manufacturing and distribution center in Johnsonville, SC. In addition, they have operations in India and China.