Nomex® Sustainability

As a co-founder and member since 1995 of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), DuPont seeks to be a sustainability leader in the industrial environment and is committed to using a science-based approach to our innovations and our goals. 

DuPont is taking action to discover and commercialize new ways to turn unused materials into useful products or recycling them back into production for a more circular process.

Sustainable Operations
 

Contributing to a circular economy

DuPont’s production process for DuPont™ Nomex^® fibres yields a secondary product, hydrochloric acid, that is traditionally not considered to be marketable.

DuPont partnered with Gonvarri Steel Services to create a beneficial use of this byproduct, eliminating both the byproduct waste and the required neutralization process.

This initiative also significantly reduces annual water use, electricity consumption, and ground transportation associated with Nomex^® production*:

*Over the lifetime of the partnership, we will be able to annually reduce water consumption equivalent to that used by 350 people and electricity consumption equivalent to the energy consumed by 1,500 homes, in addition to eliminating 500,000 km per year in road transport.

Production in Europe
 

All Nomex® plants comply with ISO 14001*

Our European manufacturing site is located in Spain. This allows for shorter transport routes within Europe, reducing fuel consumption.

Source: https://www.iso.org/standard/60857.html

^{*ISO 14001:2015 specifies the requirements for an environmental management system that an organization can use to enhance its environmental performance. ISO 14001:2015 is intended for use by an organization seeking to manage its environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner that contributes to the environmental pillar of sustainability.}

Durability – Less Waste
 

Nomex^® is a durable material and can safely be worn for longer periods of time. This eliminates the need to change garments as frequently, therefore reducing the amount of waste generated by each wearer.  

Recycling
 

How can we reduce the amount of aramid garments going to landfill? How can we recycle the fibres and transfer them to new valuable & profitable applications?

With its inherent FR properties, Nomex^® has the advantage to keep its flame resistance properties even after recycling.