Microfiber take back system
The current solution is, that microfiber products are thrown out with the refuse disposal. They are being incinerated and valuable material is going to waste. Nordisk Microfiber wants to change that.
NMF is the first company in the cleaning business to organize a take back system for microfiber cloths and mops. Since 2022, we have been working on developing a system with the aim to make us rethink how we dispose of microfiber products. Therefore, we have launched:
TAKE BACK by NMF
– take back system for microfiber
The system is groundbreaking because microfiber is not an easy material to recycle because it is a mix of primarily polyester and polyamide but also cotton and viscose, which complicates the recycling possibilities to a great extent. Therefore, this fraction of waste is not the first one to solve for the operators in the waste industry.
We challenged the existing solution, and it has brought us to different kinds of solutions, recycling it into yarn and melting it into plastic.
As a niche company we concern ourselves with microfiber and the green transition daily. Therefore, we had no doubts, we were the ones to take the responsibility and lead the way in the green transition.
Every year we bring +1,000 tons Nordic Swan Ecolabelled microfiber products to the Danish market and we want to take on responsibility for correct disposal of them. Instead of letting them go up in flames we have developed a take back system and a recycling solution. The system is designed to take 100% return.
It is the most visionary project we have launched, and it raises sustainability in the cleaning industry. TAKE BACK by NMF increases recycling and minimise throw-away behaviour.
See the video for a short guide to how to use the take back system:
We collect. We sort. We recycle.
The take back system works simply. You only must put the used cloths and mops in the return bag. The requirements are few: cloths and mops must be clean and dry and only Nordic Swan products are accepted. All brands can be returned if they are labelled with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.
When the bag is filled the responsible books collection of the bag. It’s also possible to fill more bags and book collection once or twice a year. NMF Transport collects the used microfiber products. All products are being ground on a Danish textile mill and afterwards we produce a reel for industrial use of the ground fibers. The reel can replace the traditional reel of paper for industrial use (absorption, wiping and covering).
Users of the system will receive a yearly certificate. It documents the amount of recycled microfiber, the reduced emission of CO2 and the savings of water and energy consumption.
From waste to resources
The ground fibers are pressed, and the result is recycled microfiber on a reel. Therefore, we replace the traditional industrial reel of paper. The industrial reel can be used for absorption, wiping, and covering.
It results in measurable impacts on the environment. There is 67.4% less CO2 emission, when you compare it with a reel produced of virgin paper.
See and read more about the product in the brochure.
Recycle Nordic Swan Ecolabelled products
Our goal is to recycle +1000 tons of Nordic Swan ecolabelled microfiber. The take back system works optimally when it is used. let us help each other using the system and make a difference for the environment.
We have an ambition that 100% is returned. It is up to you if you want to join us on the journey where we together change waste to resources. One cloth and one mop at a time.
Recyling of the future
With TAKE BACK by NMF we have challenged the present solution for recycling of microfiber, which is non-existing. But we do not stop here. An industrial reel is the end-product in first edition of the take back system. Our goal is that we within 2 years are able to recycle microfiber to new yarn that can be used for producing new microfiber products. The technology is not able to do that now, but we are monitoring the technologies available.
Circular economy and Global Goals
The take back system is keeping the materials in a circular flow because microfiber gets an extra life. In the long term the material will be kept in the flow longer timer when the technology is able to spin it into new yarns.
TAKE BACK by NMF contributes to FN’s Sustainable Development goal no. 12: responsible consumption and production. More specifically to target 12.5:
”By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse.”
TAKE BACK by NMF is a concrete initiative in the green transition.
The project is funded with EU resources through SMV:Grøn. The recycling solution is developed in cooperation with some of Denmark’s leading specialists from Danish Technological Institute.
