CHICAGO -- "BASF's advanced engineered nylon fiber, Savant, is intelligently designed and provides an important step in cradle-to-cradle recycling for the carpet industry," internationally recognized architect and designer William McDonough told a group of industry leaders attending the recent Sustainability Forum in Chicago.

McDonough is known in the United States and internationally for his leadership role in sustainable development. His design of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) headquarters in New York in 1985 is credited with starting the "green office" movement. McDonough has received numerous awards including the Presidential Award for Sustainable Development, the nation's highest environmental honor.

"BASF is showing leadership by developing and marketing Savant fiber for the carpet industry to use in designing environmentally intelligent products to serve a growing marketplace demand," McDonough said. "Savant is made of nylon 6, a polymer that is easily and continuously recyclable into fiber of equal or better value. BASF has the infrastructure in place to close the loop for their nylon 6, allowing it to flow as a true technical nutrient in a sustainable fiber system."

Savant, from the French word meaning genius or intelligent, is a natural Bulked Continuous Filament (BCF) nylon product created by BASF to exceed the researched requirements of the design and specifying community. Savant made its debut at the NeoCon show last year.