COMINES-WARNETON, Belgium — June 1, 2023 — Beaulieu Technical Textiles will set a new standard in woven horticultural groundcovers for indoor and outdoor nurseries with its launch of RECOVER, a long-lasting, strong and more sustainable solution for weed control.
To be unveiled on Beaulieu’s debut at GreenTech Amsterdam this 13th-15th June, the innovative interwoven polypropylene (PP) groundcover has been specifically designed to address nurseries’ unmet needs for increased durability and longevity, and to deliver reduced CO₂ footprint thanks to its 30% recycled content.
“Innovation and expertise are at the core of RECOVER, and highlight the possibilities for rethinking products to meet functional needs and bring greater circularity to markets,” comments Maarten Balcaen, Sales Manager Agrotextiles. “We put new lab tests in place, to assess the strength and the durability compared to the current market offering. Beaulieu’s craftsmanship in weaving technical fabrics has achieved a flagship solution backed by transparent information on performance and CO2 emission reduction. There are no comparable products that combine the high quality standard with the same amount of recycled content. RECOVER requires less virgin polypropylene to produce and can be recycled at the end of its life, contributing to keeping waste streams in the economy and out of incineration or landfill.”
RECOVER offers a proven step up on the performance properties of groundcovers that typically stay in use for a minimum of 10 years, and which face repeated heavy mechanical stress and friction from vehicles, temperature fluctuations that can cause instability and shrinkage, and significant exposure to UV-light over their lifetime.
The new groundcover is designed with recycled content. A total of 30% post-industrial waste, produced in Beaulieu’s recycling unit, is added during the production process. This creates up to 35% CO2 reduction, a lower carbon footprint which has been calculated through a Cradle to Gate LCA.
Nurseries benefit from a unique, more resistant solution thanks to the good balance between strength and elongation of the fabric. The quality and processing of the tape has resulted in a very strong fabric with good friction resistance.
It also resists UV light up to 900 kLy for greater longevity and is designed to stay stable even when exposed to temperature fluctuations. A dense fabric structure and black tape avoid light going through, which is necessary for effective weed control. RECOVER’s specific black and white design was created to limit the capture of heat by the ground cover and achieve thermal balance, as well as making it easier to achieve accurate positioning of the pots and plants on the field.
RECOVER’s advanced performance properties and service life are being put to the test in a field trial, with continuous monitoring to assess and confirm the benefits for the user in changing conditions.
Discover new RECOVER and Beaulieu’s entire spectrum of technical textiles and textile technologies for the horticulture sector at GreenTech Amsterdam, Stand 05.570.
Posted: June 2, 2023
Source: Beaulieu International Group
