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Aquafil

Aquafil is an Italian materials group producing polyamide 6, yarns, polymers and ECONYL® regenerated nylon, with a focus on circularity in the textile industry.

Last updated September 25, 2026

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Overview

Aquafil is an Italian industrial group whose history dates to 1965, when the company was founded in Arco, where its headquarters remain. The group says it has produced and distributed polyamide 6 globally since its beginnings and has developed technologies and processes intended to support a more circular economy in the textile industry. Its activities span synthetic fibres, yarns and polymers, with its website organizing the business into product areas that include yarn for clothing and carpet applications. A notable offering is ECONYL® regenerated nylon. Aquafil describes it as an alternative to conventional nylon, made through processes that allow nylon waste to be used as a raw material and help reduce reliance on fossil resources. The material is offered for a range of applications. The company identifies garment yarn and carpet yarn as important areas: it supplies bulk continuous filament yarn to carpet manufacturers, while ECONYL® is used by clothing brands in collections. Aquafil’s site names Prada, Burberry and Gucci as examples of brands using the regenerated nylon. Aquafil presents circularity and sustainability as central to its business strategy. Its Born R2R® initiative engages customers in co-designing carpets that can be disassembled and recycled. The group also describes ESG as integrated into its corporate strategy and links its sustainability agenda to the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Its website reports an EcoVadis Platinum Medal, placing the group in the top 1% of more than 150,000 companies assessed. The company operates internationally: Aquafil reports a worldwide sales network and 20 plants around the world. Its history page records the first production facility opening in Arco in 1969, followed by the establishment and acquisition of businesses that expanded its manufacturing and technical capabilities. Aquafil remains headquartered in Arco, Italy, and presents itself as a global supplier to textile and related markets.

History

Aquafil was founded in 1965 in Arco, Italy, which remains the group’s headquarters. Its corporate history page describes a business shaped by industrial growth, research and innovation, with a long-standing focus on polyamide 6 and the development of technologies that can make nylon waste a feedstock. The company says it has produced and distributed polyamide 6 globally since 1965. The group established its first production facility in Arco in 1969 for the polymerization and manufacture of Nylon 6 fibres. In 1986, Aquaspace and Gardafilo were founded in Rovereto to produce space-dyed and refined polyester fibres. Aquafil Engineering followed in 1988 in Berlin, with a remit to sell production plants, engineering and equipment for polyamide 6 and polyester. In 1990, Aquafil S.p.A. acquired Special Polymers, focused on engineering plastics, and Tessil4, focused on reprocessing fibres for the carpet-yarn sector. That year, Aquafil also reported recovering “lactamic waters” produced during polymerization. Over time, Aquafil developed technologies and processes for using nylon waste as a raw material. This work is represented prominently by ECONYL® regenerated nylon, which the company positions as an alternative to conventional nylon and a means of supporting circularity in textile applications. Its activities include yarn for clothing and carpets, polymers and synthetic fibres. The group also promotes Born R2R® (“Born Regenerated to be Regenerable”), an initiative in which customers co-design carpets intended to be disassembled and recycled. Aquafil describes its present-day operations as international, reporting a worldwide sales network and 20 plants around the world. Its sustainability communications connect ESG factors with corporate strategy and the United Nations 2030 Agenda. The company reports receiving an EcoVadis Platinum Medal, placing it in the top 1% of more than 150,000 companies assessed. The available company materials establish its Italian origins, continued headquarters in Arco and broad product focus; they do not provide enough information here to identify a founder, parent company or current executives.

  • 1990

    Special Polymers and Tessil4 acquired

  • 1990

    Recovery of “lactamic waters” begins

  • 1988

    Aquafil Engineering established in Berlin

  • 1986

    Aquaspace and Gardafilo founded

  • 1969

    First production facility established in Arco

  • 1965

    Aquafil founded in Arco, Italy

Products and positioning

A global supplier of polyamide 6, synthetic fibres and yarns that emphasizes innovation and circularity, including regenerated nylon made using nylon waste as a raw material.

  • ECONYL® regenerated nylon

    A regenerated nylon positioned as an alternative to conventional nylon and used in a range of applications.

  • Yarn for carpets

    Aquafil supplies bulk continuous filament yarn to carpet manufacturers.

  • Yarn for garments

    The company supplies clothing yarn, including ECONYL® regenerated nylon used by apparel brands.

  • Polyamide 6 and synthetic fibres

    Core materials identified in Aquafil’s company profile and historical account.

Recent events

  • Napapijri launches the Infinity recyclable jacket collection[5]

    Reported:

    Napapijri launched Infinity, a jacket collection described as 100% recyclable; customers can return a jacket for recycling after two years of use in exchange for a voucher toward a new Infinity item.

Sources5 sources

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