Foss Manufacturing Company, a leading designer and manufacturer of nonwoven fabrics and specialty synthetic fibers, has launched a high quality polyester fiber made from 100% recycled plastic PET bottles. According to Foss, Ecospun is chemically and functionally superior to that of non-recycled competitors. It can also be blended with the company’s patented Fosshield antimicrobial fiber technology to create durable and natural antimicrobial fabrics.
    
Ecospun fiber can be added to any textile product, including clothing, blankets, auto interiors, carpets, wall coverings, home furnishings and craft felt. By blending this recycled fiber with its Fosshield antimicrobial technology, Foss has created a unique antimicrobial fiber blend.  Fosshield is an all-natural bicomponent polyester fiber that includes a built-in, silver- and copper-based inorganic antimicrobial additive.  When woven or needlepunched into fabrics, this blend effectively inhibits the growth of destructive bacteria, mold, mildew and fungus while maintaining all the environmentally-friendly aspects of Ecospun.
    
With the creation of Ecospun, Foss Manufacturing continues to lead the way to green manufacturing in the textile industry, according to executives. Because roughly 10 bottles comprise one pound of fiber, the production of Ecospun can keep nearly three billion plastic PET bottles out of world landfills each year, saving over half a million barrels of oil and eliminating 400,000 tons of harmful air emissions.