Prada to use nylon made from recycled plastic

On Monday, Italian luxury label Prada announced it is joining in the fashion world’s efforts to use recycled plastic, by introducing a handbag line made with nylon sourced from plastic waste recovered from the sea.

After the farewell to fur announced last month, Prada has launched Re-Nylon, a project that is set to represent “another step towards sustainable development,” as Prada stated in a press release.

Prada’s Re-Nylon handbags and backpacks are the result of the label’s collaboration with Aquafil, producer of Econyl, a nylon yarn made “using plastic waste recovered from the oceans, such as fishing nets, or destined for landfills, as well as textile fibre waste and regenerated old carpets,” wrote Prada.

“Thanks to a process of de-polymerisation and subsequent re-polymerisation, Econyl yarn can be recycled indefinitely without losing its properties,” added the Milanese label, for which nylon is a signature material.

Prada indicated that the group’s goal is for all its clothes and accessories currently made with traditional nylon to be made with Econyl by the end of 2021.

Sustainable luxury is a booming trend in the world of fashion, and several luxury labels, among them Stella McCartney, use nylon made with recycled fabrics, as do sports brands like Adidas.