Circular Economy is the principal focus of our work and product innovation
Marchi & Fildi is a renowned textiles group specialising in the production of high-quality yarns for fashion, furnishings, and technical applications. Established in 2007 through the merger of Filatura Marchi and Fildi, the company has a rich industrial history rooted in the Biella textiles district of Italy. With advanced technologies and a commitment to sustainability, Marchi & Fildi operates internationally with factories in Italy, Türkiye, and Brazil. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, Group CEO Giovanni Marchi discusses Ecotec technology, technical yarns, and more.
Can you provide an overview of Marchi & Fildi? How has the company evolved since its inception?
Marchi & Fildi SpA was formed in 2007 out of the merger of two well-established companies in the Italian textiles industry, Filatura Marchi and Fildi. In 2008 Marchi & Fildi SpA and Abalioglu Tekstil Sanayi AS, owned by CSA Holding of Türkiye, founded Filidea, a dynamic company which rapidly rose to international success in the field of high-tech, high-performance textiles combining natural and man-made fibres.
Now that the company’s management is in its third generation and the Group has implemented the most advanced technologies, Marchi & Fildi is a thriving international group based in Biella, with factories in Italy, Türkiye and Brazil.
Could you explain the Ecotec technology and its impact on your production processes?
Ecotec is an innovative Italian production process developed and patented by the Marchi & Fildi Group. It exemplifies the circular economy by using pre- and post-consumer textile waste to give new life to natural and artificial fibres, creating new yarns, both pure and blended.
Ecotec technology can create new yarns from:
Pre- and post-consumer textile waste from knitting and weaving mills, or from our own production cycle, pure or blended with virgin or recycled fibres.
Used clothing and post-consumer materials.
Ecotec technology is versatile, enabling the production of colourful, long-lasting, top-quality yarns for various sectors, including flat and circular knitting, weaving, and home furnishings. The process is fully traceable, with both product and process certified to ensure consumer health protection.
Could you detail the sustainable practices and technologies at Marchi & Fildi, especially regarding your ecological cone dyeing plant and environmental standards?
Our dyeing plant strictly complies with EU regulations concerning the use, treatment, and release of water in dyeing processes. Our in-house standards are even stricter than current legislation requires, as the Marchi & Fildi Group prioritises innovation and investment in production methods that do not harm the earth, people, or natural resources.
To quantify the energy savings and reduction in the environmental impact of our dyeing processes, we conducted a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study in 2020 through ICEA (Italy’s Institution for Ethical and Environmental Certification). The study measured the savings achieved when dyeing a typical yarn on cones (a cotton blend with noble fibres), which characterises more than 50 per cent of our dyeing plant’s production. This product is considered high cost and high environmental impact due to its significant consumption of water and energy resources, whether renewable or not.
The analysis compared the consumption of a conventional dyeing plant with an average age of 20 years to our new Marchi & Fildi plant, which reduces energy and water requirements thanks to:
New-generation technologies, and
Formulas using chemicals and colourants that have been tested for their ability to reduce energy consumption.
How does Filidea ensure environmental compliance while developing high-performance technical yarns, such as those used in the automotive and contract industries?
Sustainable innovation at Filidea is expressed in several key areas:
The Circular Economy: This is the principal focus of our work and product innovation. We have recognised the importance of the circular economy from the start, culminating about 20 years ago in the birth of Ecotec—our production process that gives new life to pre- and post-consumer textile scraps by using them to make new yarns. Ecotec technology is involved in various projects with partner companies and contributors, launching new high-performing products for specific uses based on circular economy principles.
Research into Processes and Products with Reduced Environmental Impact: Through partnerships with key players in the textiles industry and the world of research and education, our work in our plants is inspired by constant research into energy-saving manufacturing processes and natural, traceable, certified raw materials. We focus on producing long-lasting, quality items to help reduce the significant problem of textile waste.
Use of Renewable Energy Generated On-Site: We aim to rationalise our electricity consumption to contribute to sustainable development without compromising our production and growth potential.
New-Generation, Reduced Environmental Impact In-House Dyeing Plant
Traceability and Certifications: We strive for the sustainability of our products to be transparent and documented.
What measures are being taken within the industry to reduce environmental impact and promote sustainable practices?
We can respond based on our most recent interventions within our dyeing facility. In addition to fully complying with European standards for water extraction, purification, and discharge, our recent Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study showed that the plant achieved a 48 per cent reduction in required water, a 57 per cent reduction in energy, and a 48 per cent reduction in steam, resulting in an overall 37 per cent resource savings for the entire process.
With the activation of the RHeX60 device provided by Pozzi Leopoldo in early April 2024, the plant has achieved significant improvement in energy recovery by using the heat from wastewater to preheat the cold water intended for subsequent processes. This procedure occurs without the need for any type of effluent filtration, thereby maximising thermal recovery.
The most significant results of the investment come from the ability to have shorter dyeing cycles, reduced gas consumption, and limited atmospheric emissions related to dyeing processes.
What are the primary challenges in sourcing raw materials sustainably and ensuring ethical labour practices in the textile supply chain?
The most challenging task is building and maintaining a high-quality, traceable, and certified supply chain. We committed ourselves to this years ago to ensure maximum transparency for the brands we collaborate with. This forward-looking choice has often allowed us to anticipate and comply with the latest supply chain regulations.
The company maintains a diverse product range. How do you balance innovation with maintaining the quality that your customers expect?
Our Group operates in multiple sectors, each requiring the management of diverse technical aspects related to very different products. However, this diversity has proven incredibly useful, as we can apply our specialised expertise from one sector to another. This cross-sectoral knowledge allows us to innovate while maintaining the high quality our customers expect.
Can you discuss any recent innovations in your R&D department?
The most recent activity in our Research and Development department focuses on a project for recycling end-of-life garments to create next-generation modacrylics. Filidea is collaborating with Kaneka Corporation, Japan, producer of the Protex range of flame-retardant modacrylic fibres by Waxman Fibres Ltd, to develop an innovative chemical recycling process using textile waste, primarily end-of-life garments, as raw material.
This chemical recycling process, which represents an innovative technological breakthrough, breaks down end-of-life garments into base gases. These gases are then used to produce acrylonitrile, which is subsequently used to reproduce Protex modacrylic fibres. The process is adaptable to various fibre blends, eliminating the need for pre-cleaning treatment. With a conversion efficiency of 99 per cent, it is a significant example of circularity and reducing the environmental impact of production.
Can you share insights into any upcoming projects or collaborations that you are particularly excited about?
At the upcoming edition of Pitti Filati, we will present the knitwear collections of Filidea and Marchi & Fildi, featuring renewed colour cards and several new products. With an increasingly transeasonal offering, new titles for our flagship products, and the expansion of our stock service, we are confident that we can provide an excellent response to market needs.
What role does collaboration with educational institutions and research centres play in Marchi & Fildi’s strategy?
This is undoubtedly a very important aspect: we strongly believe in training the professionals who will enter our sector in the coming years.
For this reason, we have been collaborating for years with ITS TAM (Istituto Tecnologico Superiore Tessile Abbigliamento Moda), a true excellence in the field, offering comprehensive training to the textile professionals of tomorrow, with ample space dedicated to practice.
Every year, on the occasion of Pitti Filati, we showcase the creations that ITS TAM students make with our yarns. The quality of the garments exhibited, in terms of originality and awareness of the potential of the yarns, surprises us every year.
For our Group, it is essential to support and maintain this channel of collaboration with the world of specialised training.
Looking forward, what are your key strategic goals for Marchi & Fildi over the next five years?
Our goals include increasing the percentage of recycled material in our Ecotec product line while continuing to improve product performance. We aim to achieve even better quality with sustainability as a fundamental value. To accomplish these goals, we will focus on continuous product and process research.
How do geopolitical factors and global trade policies influence the supply chain and pricing in the textile industry?
Certainly, the current scenario presents us with multiple challenges to address. However, our Group is active in four countries (Italy, Türkiye, Serbia, and Brazil), and this international presence allows us to respond more flexibly to the most critical situations.
How do you foresee the demand for sustainable and technical yarns evolving in the next decade?
We anticipate a growing demand for sustainable products, accompanied by an increasing need for supply chain transparency. True sustainability is necessarily accompanied by complete traceability of supply chains. For this reason, it is extremely important to continue pursuing maximum compliance with the standards required by industry certifications. Our goal is circularity, which is one of the values that inspired the creation of MagnoLab, the textile innovation district we co-founded with other excellent Italian textile companies.
