Piana Technology, the 440-year-old Italian-made textile company known for innovations within the fibre and nonwovens textiles markets, is certified to the Global Recycling Standard (GRS) for its Piana Nonwovens business unit.

The Georgia and Arizona based textile facilities specialise in vertically and cross-lapped nonwovens. Since 2015 and 2019, in each location respectively, the company has manufactured a variety of intermediate products that are behind many of the common household products used today.

The GRS is a product standard that verifies and tracks recycled raw materials through the supply chain. It includes criteria to prevent the use of potentially hazardous chemicals, and verifies positive social or environmental production at facilities - this includes requirements for worker's rights and safety, as well as an environmental management system to set and track environmental goals. Both Piana Nonwovens facilities were assessed by a third party to verify their conformance to the standard, and were awarded a scope certificate in March, the company said in a press release.

All eligible nonwoven products from Piana Nonwovens will be made with at least 50 per cent recycled GRS material. It's a step forward for Piana Technology's mission to offer traceable technologies that have a smaller environmental footprint, on top of their organisation-wide purpose of becoming a powerhouse of sustainable innovation.

"We are proud to demonstrate our commitment to traceability, social, and environmental standards through this certification," said Daniela Leal, sustainability manager at Piana Technology. "It is always our priority to work for the benefit and wellbeing of people and the planet."