Thermoplastic Non-Woven Textile Elements
A non-woven textile may be formed from a plurality of thermoplastic polymer filaments. The non-woven textile may have a first region and a second region, with the filaments of the first region being fused to a greater degree than the filaments of the second region. A variety of products, including apparel (e.g., shirts, pants, footwear), may incorporate the non-woven textile. In some of these products, the non-woven textile may be joined with another textile element to form a seam. More particularly, an edge area of the non-woven textile may be heatbonded with an edge area of the other textile element at the seam. In other products, the non-woven textile may be joined with another component, whether a textile or a non-textile.
1 - 81 . (canceled)
82 . A method comprising:
incorporating a first non-woven textile into a first product, the non-woven textile being formed from a plurality of filaments that include a thermoplastic polymer material;
recycling the thermoplastic polymer material from the first product to form at least one of a second non-woven textile, a polymer foam, and a polymer sheet; and
incorporating the at least one of the second non-woven textile, the polymer foam, and the polymer sheet into a second product.
83 . The method recited in claim 82 , further including a step of selecting at least one of the first product and the second product to be an article of apparel.
84 . The method recited in claim 82 , further including a step of selecting at least one of the first product and the second product to be an article of footwear.
85 - 115 . (canceled)