Huafeng, Cyclone, and Covestro collaborated to use recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) yarns to produce new sportswear for Team Sonnenwagen Aachen, a solar racing collective from RWTH Aachen and FH Aachen, Germany.

The new sportswear of Team Sonnenwagen is made from partially recycled PET yarns and is screen-printed with HAPTIC ink, which contains partially bio-based PU dispersions.

rPET yarns from Cyclone

Cyclone, a leading polyester recycling company that produces high-quality rPET yarns for the sports and automotive industries, produces yarns from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) from plastic bottles collected in Fujian Province, China.

Additionally, Cyclone employs a dope-dyeing technique for its yarns, which uses 57% less energy, 77% less water, and generates 51% lower CO2 emissions than traditional dyeing techniques.

Bio-based PU finishing

The shorts, sports shoes, and trousers are with screen-printed designs created using Huafeng’s HAPTIC ink, which contains a partially bio-based PU dispersion, supplied by Covestro, Team Sonnenwagen’s core sponsor and supporter since 2017.

The partially bio-based PU dispersion – Impranil CQ DLS/1 resin –delivers a 38% lower carbon footprint than standard grade Impranil. It also offers extensive customizability, and can be used in high-performance textiles like sportswear.

The collaboration between Huafeng, Cyclone, and Covestro demonstrates that combining innovative manufacturing with partly recycled fabrics and partly bio-based textile coatings helps manufacturers create more sustainable sportswear while ensuring performance, durability, comfort, and style.