An initiative to make 100 percent bio-based performance sportswear is to get funding from the European Commission as part of its S4 Fashion project, with the contribution of the EU’s European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). BioAce is a joint project from Circuvate, a German sustainable materials consultancy, and U.K.-based clothing manufacturer The Good Factory.
The collaboration aims to explore the use of a 100 percent bio-based polyamide (PA 10,10) with similar technical features to traditional petroleum-based synthetics such as PA 6 and PA 6,6 (also known as polyamide/nylon). Contrary to traditional polyamides, which use oil as the feedstock, PA 10,10 uses a renewable source: castor beans grown without pesticides and in arid areas. According to the project partners, bio-based polyamides could reduce the carbon footprint by 55 percent from that of virgin petroleum-based fibers like PA 6,6. BioAce is meant to reduce that further through the development of recycled bio-based yarns, initially from factory cutting waste. The initiative will receive €10,000 in funding, which will be used to evaluate the feasibility of the circular system, including the production of a prototype garment, the recycling of the textile scraps from the manufacturing, and an evaluation of the system’s overall impact.
