Kintra Fibers Project
Fashion for Good alumni, Kintra Fibres produces a biopolymer which is a replacement for virgin polyester. Polybutylene succinate or PBS is a biopolymer made using industrial sugarcane as a feedstock, it is also biodegradable in aerobic conditions.
What's the challenge?
Polyester claims 52% of the global fibre market. As the most common fibre in the world, it also represents a significant portion of the 73% of textiles that are landfilled or incinerated annually. A synthetic fibre derived from petroleum, polyester does not naturally break down in the environment, and the production of virgin fibres also perpetuates our reliance on fossil fuels.
So the industry needs other solutions, including utilising alternative feedstocks such as textile waste or biobased feedstocks. Fibres made using biobased feedstocks are called biosynthetics. Biosynthetics include a range of different biopolymers such as PHA, PLA, PBS and Bio PET, which each have their own unique properties and are produced using techniques such as bacterial fermentation or converting starch to lactic acid through polymerisation.
Although there are partly biopolyesters that are available on the market, there are no 100% biopolymers at scale. Work is still needed to validate the performance of these biopolymers in fabric applications as well as to validate their end of use pathways such as industrial or home composting.
Executive Summary
Fashion for Good launched the pilot in April 2023 in collaboration with brand partners BESTSELLER, Inditex, Reformation and manufacturing partner Paradise Textiles. The aim of the pilot is to test, implement and scale Kintra Fibers’ polyester yarns and fabrics in the applications that the participating brand partners selected.
Kintra Fibers will provide Paradise Textiles with yarns which have been produced using their resin. From this, Paradise Textiles will create fabrics which will be dyed and finished. The hypothesis is that the fabric will meet the specifications outlined by the brand partners.
Alongside testing the technical feasibility the project also includes biodegradation studies and an environmental impact assessment. The biodegradation studies will be conducted on the final finished fabric with OWS, external testing partner. The environmental impact assessment will be conducted by a 3rd party consultant. Through this aiming to validate that the material is biodegradable in aerobic conditions.
Goals of the Project
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Produce specified fabric made using Kintra Fibres resin, dye and finish the fabric that meets the specifications outlined by the brands
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Conduct biodegradation tests on the finished fabric
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Conduct 3rd party environmental impact assessment
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Timeline
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June-December 2022
Phase 0: Scoping
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January- July 2023
Phase 1
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January - December 2024
Phase 2
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November 2024
Still in progress
Innovation Partners
Innovator
Relevant Resources
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Behind the Break 2.0
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