Luxaflex Window Fashions, an Australian manufacturer of blinds, shutters, soft shades and awnings, has pioneered a window furnishing fabric made from plastic collected from beaches and waterways.
The project was brought to life via a partnership between Luxaflex parent company Hunter Douglas and Bionic, along with the Waterkeeper Alliance.
Luxaflex Equascreen is a fabric made using 50 percent recycled ocean-bound plastic, and is designed specifically for interior blinds such as Luxaflex Roller and Panel Glide Blinds.
The plastic used in its production is collected from 37 countries through a global network of clean-up initiatives supported by the Waterkeeper Alliance.
It is then sorted, processed and spun into Bionic FLX yarn. This yarn is used to create sustainable, functional and elegant solar-control fabrics, which reduce glare, provide UV protection and help regulate indoor temperatures.
The fabric is Cradle to Cradle Certified, PVC-free, halogen-free and Oeko-Tex certified, meeting global standards for health, recyclability and circular design.
According to the CSIRO, around 90 tonnes of primary materials are extracted each year to meet global demands for plastic products and only nine percent of this is recycled. This is an estimated 14 million tonnes of microplastics accumulated on the seafloor.
Luxaflex says that, since the program’s inception in 2019, over 40 tonnes of ocean-bound plastic have been repurposed into Luxaflex Equascreen fabrics.
In Australia, over 130,000 tonnes of plastic leak into the environment every year, equivalent to more than 5000 shipping containers.
“We’re proud to lead the way globally, showing that businesses can be part of the solution, not the problem,” Luxaflex head of Product and Marketing Diana Altiparmakova says.
“The initiative is also [a] testament to the power of partnerships, with local communities empowered through collection programs that generate both environmental and economic impact.”
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