ATLANTA— Invista and its Antron brand of commercial fibers have already been known as forerunners in the environmental movement including such initiatives as one of the industry’s most successful reclamation programs. Its latest chapter in advancing sustainability was introduced last month in Chicago at NeoCon with the launch of two products in the new Bio_Antron carpet fiber family.

Antron Bio_Legacy, a type 6,6, nylon, is the first of the new fibers and contains materials derived from renewable resources. Featuring all the performance and aesthetic benefits of classic Antron Legacy nylon, 10% of Bio_Legacy is derived from castor bean oil.

Bobby Berrier, vice president of Invista’s commercial interiors, called Bio_Legacy a “groundbreaking introduction for the commercial market.” Among the castor bean’s many advantages over other types of bio fuel is it is a non-food source and it is a high-yield crop that is harvested annually.

“We wanted to make sure before we brought a bio product to Antron, it met all of our criteria,” he explained. “So we scoured the world, literally, to look at options, and considered many alternatives before focusing in on castor oil.”

As added emphasis to the fiber’s durability and design capabilities, Berrier noted Bio_Legacy is available in acid dye and cationic dye “for maximum styling flexibility, and carries the same warranty as other Antron products. Plus, Invista engineered it so manufacturers do not have to invest in new equipment or resources. “It’s drop-in ready for their products. If we have someone that really wants that bio content, it’s available to him today.”

That noted, he expects the marketplace will begin seeing running lines with Bio_Legacy as the second half of the year rolls along. “Right now the mills are trying to understand how to use it. They’re looking at where they can look at existing projects with clients where it can be applicable.”

Along with having the same performance and design qualities as traditional Antron products, Berrier noted Bio_Legacy can be recycled at the end of its life in available nylon 6,6 recycling chains. “It’s a revolutionary branded [green] carpet fiber that contains bio-based material and has no performance or aesthetic tradeoffs.”

Also, under the guidelines for the U.S. Green Building Council’s latest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green rating system he said carpets made with Bio_Legacy can contribute toward credit under the “rapidly renewable materials” heading.

“Lumena-ting” fiber

The second new fiber is Antron Lumena solution dyed nylon with post-consumer recycled content. Containing a minimum of 25% pre- and post-consumer recycled material Berrier said it has everything the traditional Lumena offers with the added benefit of being made with recycled materials.

To assure the A&D community of the new fiber’s performance ability, it carries the same warranty as other Lumena offerings. “This gives our customers the opportunity to specify a high-performing carpet fiber with post-consumer recycled content,” he said. It can also be specified in custom styles to meet sustainability goals for using recycled content in a project, and can contribute to LEED credits MR 4.1 and 4.2.

Berrier said the company is pursuing third-party certification for the new fibers so they can be added to the current certifications it has by Scientific Certification Systems. These include:

• Select Lumena and Legacy nylons are certified to contain a minimum of 90% pre-consumer recycled content

• More than 50 colors of Lumena solution dyed are certified to contain a minimum of 25% pre-consumer recycled content

• All Lumena, Legacy and Brilliance nylons, and Antron with StainRESIST fiber technology have received Environmentally Preferable Product certification.

Bio surge

Just as the second half of the year will begin to see products hit the market with the new Bio_Legacy and Antron Lumena, so to will it see Invista come out with even more green offerings.

Berrier said despite the tough economic climate the company plans to continue “to innovate along these sustainable options. We have post-consumer recycled content in our Antron Lumina offering. Now we have a bio offering with respect to our Antron Legacy. In the second half of the year we will start to increase our developments where we will have bio in our Anton Lumina offering and will look to have post-consumer in our white offering.”

Knowing the carpet industry has made great strides to be a leader in the green building movement, he said Invista is hoping its added push into more sustainable fibers will spur the entire segment on even more.

“There is a responsibility that we all have when it comes to environmental sustainable efforts,” he concluded. “We hope all our customers use this. Even the ones who don’t use our products right now may realize this is a call to action. To be able to bring them a product that meets their all their needs— performance, styling and environmentally preferable.”

For more on Invista and its products, call 877.446.8478.