Trending: CO2 Dyeing, Biosynthetics Driving Transition Towards New Textiles Economy

February 5, 2018 by SUSTAINABLE BRANDS 

A new textiles economy is on the horizon as innovative textile and chemical firms develop new chemical- and petroleum-free processes to produce fabrics and materials. (….) Meanwhile, Italian textile firm Aquafil has agreed to a multi-year partnership with bioengineering company Genomatica to develop sustainable caprolactam, a key ingredient used in producing Aquaful’s signature 100 percent sustainable nylon. The collaboration aims to develop a commercially-advantageous bioprocess (Genomatica’s GENO CPL™ process) to make the material using plant-based, renewable ingredients, rather than the crude oil-derived materials traditionally used by the nylon industry.

Petroleum-based caprolactam is used in a variety of applications, including carpets and apparel. The material has a global market of over five million tons a year. Genomatica’s GENO CPL process aims to provide a sustainable way of making caprolactam with better economics, including for smaller-scale plants. Additionally, it will enable licensees and their customers to differentiate themselves by offering a more sustainable bio-based product whose performance will be fully comparable with traditional nylon, and which will not require any machine or process adjustments in the existing nylon supply chain. “As proven by the success of ECONYL®, consumers and manufacturers look forward to opportunities to play an active role in the circular economy. We aim to be a leader of sustainability for nylon, and we are excited by the opportunity to be the first to bring the benefits of this new technology to our customers, which is perfectly in line with our commitment to creating sustainable products,” said Giulio Bonazzi, Chairman and CEO of Aquafil. “Genomatica brings the technology, innovation and track record to help us achieve this.” To read the complete news: http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/cleantech/sustainable_brands/trending_co2_dyeing_biosynthetics_driving_transition_tow?utm