Astrid

Our range of flameproof fabrics ranges from sheers to heavier drapery fabrics with a rich variety of textures and colours. These collections are suitable for both public and private spaces, but sometimes there are buildings that have requirements for fire safety. Our flameproof fabrics have certificates that can be easily ordered from us.

Other good properties that polyester fabrics have are that they are easy to care for, they stretch and shrink minimally and keep the colour good against light and washing. Properties in themselves that make the fabric more durable.

To meet the demand for flame retardant fabrics we are working with fabrics woven with flame retardant polyester fibers – Trevira CS or Polyester FR. Trevira CS is a trademark for flameproof fabrics. Textiles in Trevira CS are woven with inherently fire retardant polyester fibers which means that the fabrics can be washed any number of times without losing their fire retardant qualities. All fabrics marked Polyester Flame Retardant (FR) have been permanently treated according to the same method. All fabrics in the Trevira CS collection are woven from yarn certified according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100.

Other good properties that polyester fabrics have are that they are easy to care for, they stretch and shrink minimally and keep the colour good against light and washing. Properties in themselves that make the fabric more durable. All our fabrics in this category meet the requirements that are often set in public procurement.

Fire retardancy in fabrics is a feature often required, but not met by textiles made of natural fibres. At Astrid, we carefully follow the progress made in environmentally friendly ways of treating natural fibres before they are woven into fabrics. A method commonly used is treating the fibres with different variants of salt, which prevents the fabric from igniting. The company Coex has come a long way with this type of protection. It is also possible to treat the fabric in an environmentally friendly way afterwards, we have good experience of a Swedish company that has developed good methods, read more here.

What is fire retardant polyester?

In fire retardant polyester, the fibres have been treated with monomers which are added to the polymer melt, giving the finished fibres a permanent fire retardant quality. The polyester fibres in such fabrics are hollow and the added chemicals are there to speed up the melting of the fabric so that it retracts away from the source of fire, rather than preventing ignition. This is a quality well suited for drapes and curtains. In case of fire, the fabric rapidly melts away from the fire and the risk of ignition.

Source: Survey of flame retardants for polyester and polyamide; Johnson, Caroline

Recycling and reusing

In order to be a part of a cycle of sustainability, we carefully follow the latest developments regarding the recycling and reusing of textiles. We support projects in which our scrap fabrics are used to make new products. One example is our part in the Stockholm Royal Institute of Technology’s restaurant lab (link) and a Young Entrepreneurs of Sweden-company is making reusable fruit bags out of scrap pieces from our semitransparent linen fabric called Venere. The bags are both practical and pretty, and they contribute to reducing the use of plastics.

We have a goal of making polyester fabric from recycled material alone, and work actively to influence our partners to join us in reaching that goal. With two collections made using 50% recycled polyester, we have but started our journey. Read more about Harrietta and Nicola.