AF&Y AND PLASTEX REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT BY IMPLEMENTING FABRIC AND YARN RECYCLING PROGRAM

Press Contact:
Tracey Campbell (919-969-4248) (twcampbell@afyarns.com)
Kristen Orr (919-969-4243) (korr@afyarns.com)

Chapel Hill, NC (May 10, 2007)  – American Fibers and Yarns Company (AF&Y) has partnered with Plastex Incorporated to begin a new recycling program whereby AF&Y produced yarns, and fabrics made exclusively with AF&Y yarns, will be re-generated to produce a variety of durable goods. 

Yarns and fabrics from apparel, upholstery and industrial markets will be collected from AF&Y customers and their consumers at the AF&Y Technology Center in Bainbridge, GA and then sent onto Plastex where they will be converted into inert plastic resin pellets.  These pellets will offset the need for virgin plastic pellets derived directly from the world oil production flow, thus minimizing environmental impact.

“With environmental stewardship becoming increasingly important, we feel compelled to do our part to reduce the impact our yarns have on the environment,” said Michael Apperson, AF&Y president and CEO. “While our overall yarn manufacturing process is already earth friendly, our partnership with Plastex further validates our commitment to implementing green practices across the board.  It’s great to know that once fabrics made with AF&Y yarns reach the end of their lifecycle, they can be recycled into other useful products.”

The recycle stream is unique in that the resin pellets created through this process are more cost effective than virgin products without comprising performance properties such as extreme durability, UV resistance, and hydrophobicity.  The recycled resin will be used in various applications including:

• Automotive interior part such as door handles and radio/CD bezels

• Under-the-hood black parts such as air filter housings and radiator fan housings

• Trunk liners and waste water liners

• Flower pots, synthetic pine straw and weed block fabrics

• Water filters and filtration fabrics

“Consumers are becoming much more environmentally conscious, and as a result, the demand for recycled materials is significantly increasing,” said Sam Stevens, President of Plastex, Inc. “We are excited about the opportunity to work with American Fibers and Yarns to recycle yarns and fabrics into new products for a variety of markets.”

About Plastex, Inc.

Plastex, Inc. is a private recycling company specializing in textile, nonwoven, and plastic waste and by products.  The company deals in large quantities of nylon, polypropylene, PET, and polyethylene based products and services the automotive, floor covering, textile, filtration, and industrial markets throughout the world.  In addition, Plastex, Inc. maintains inventories of yarn, staple fiber, pellet, and thread waste products for immediate shipments to destinations worldwide. For additional information, please contact Plastex, Inc. at 803-637-3500 or email us at PlastexIncorp@aol.com.

About American Fibers and Yarns Company
American Fibers and Yarns Company (AF&Y) is the world’s leading supplier of solution dyed filament yarns.  With thousands of yarns in its product portfolio and the ability to engineer yarns to customer specifications, AF&Y is a dominant supplier to the residential and contract furnishings marketplace, and has a growing presence in the hospitality, apparel, automotive and industrial markets.  Headquartered in Chapel Hill, NC, AF&Y maintains a Technology Center that specializes in engineering filament yarn with innovative combinations not available from other suppliers.  The company also operates two U.S. production facilities totaling six hundred thousand square feet of manufacturing space.  For more information on AF&Y and its products, please visit www.afyarns.com or call 800-925-0668.