Californian biotech company Genomatica (Geno) alongside longtime collaborator Aquafil successfully completed the first demonstration scale production runs for plant-based nylon-6. The material is intended to reshape the $22 billion nylon industry, enabling brands to meet demand from consumers for sustainable everyday materials from apparel to automotive parts to carpets.
The Commission presented last week a package of European Green Deal proposals to make sustainable products the norm in the EU, boost circular business models and empower consumers for the green transition. As announced in the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Commission is proposing new rules to make almost all physical goods on the EU market more friendly to the environment, circular, and energy efficient throughout their whole lifecycle from the design phase through to daily use, repurposing and end-of-life.
Aquafil, the creator of the branded ECONYL® regenerated nylon and pioneer in the circular economy, and ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo) entered into a non-exclusive business alliance agreement to promote and expand the nylon circular business.
Japanese materials maker Toray Industries is going to start mass production of polyester made entirely from plants, a breakthrough poised to cut reliance on petroleum and slash carbon emissions, Nikkei has learned. Toray developed what is being described as the world’s first 100% plant-based polyester jointly with Virent, a U.S. biofuels company. Production is set to begin in the early part of this decade, people familiar with the matter said.
Telaketju, a network promoting sustainable recycling of textiles, shifts its focus from recycling to managing the whole value chain, extending textile life-span and creating novel business models. A two-year R&D project, led by VTT, will gather more than 20 companies and research partners together to create a sustainable basis for the circular economy of textiles.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 