Material World is a weekly roundup of innovations and ideas within the materials sector, covering news from emerging biomaterials and alternative leathers to sustainable substitutes and future-proof fibers.
Alt. Leather
Alt. Leather has received support from the Australian government—specifically through its Industry Growth Program—to help scale the Melbourne-based manufacturer’s leather alternative.
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“The grant will allow us to deepen our research and development, expand our team and progress to pilot production,” the startup said in a statement. “These are critical stages in bringing our material to market at the quality, consistency and scale required by global brands.”
The federal grant was awarded through the country’s program that “supports early-stage businesses in their most challenging development phase,” per the Department of Industry Sciences and Resources.
According to the Commonwealth’s business community, “an Advisory Service for startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) undertaking innovative commercialization and/or growth projects that are within the priority areas of the Australian Government’s National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) and help build Australia’s manufacturing capability for the future.”
More specifically, Alt. Leather was awarded over 1.15 million Australian dollars (about $748,000) under the Early-Stage Commercialization grant opportunity. Per the program’s successful recipients database, Australia’s first 100 percent biobased leather alternative’s parent company will commercialize production, “focusing on sustainable growth, innovation and market expansion.”
The grant will “support the startup’s transition from lab-scale to pilot-scale production, which involves adapting processes for larger machinery and the design, procurement and construction of a pilot plant for testing in preparation for scaled-up operations,” per the Industry Growth Program’s project summary. “It will also help prepare for market entry by developing strategic partnerships with key industry players, including manufacturers, retailers and other stakeholders in the sustainable materials sector.”
Alt. Leather’s 100 percent biobased material has a climate impact three times lower than animal leather, using up to 70 percent less fossil energy, as validated by a life cycle assessment (LCA) conducted by Lifecycles, Australia’s longest-standing LCA experts, over the course of six months.
“Alt. Leather’s technology uses only natural inputs, transforming agricultural byproducts and other biobased materials into a durable, flexible alternative to leather,” Alt. Leather said. “Our process avoids both petroleum-derived plastic and the emissions impact of animal hides.”
This funding builds on earlier support from Australia’s national science agency, Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). The CSIRO Kick-Start program provides matched funding (at least 10,000 and up to 50,000 Australian dollars) for collaborative research projects between SMEs and CSIRO researchers, which fast-tracked Alt. Leather’s impact in March.
The RISE Accelerator program, meanwhile, is a bilateral initiative between Australia and the Indian government’s the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and state-run policy think tank, NITI Aayog, that supports startups and SMEs in “scaling technologies addressing climate and environmental challenges between India and Australia,” CISRO said.
Alt. Leather was also named a finalist in the Best Newcomer category at the Governor of Victoria’s Startup Awards in June—and currently collaborating with a luxury brand (also Down Under) on a pilot project, with updates expected in the coming months.
Loop Industries
Montreal-based cleantech company Loop Industries has introduced Twist: its circular polyester resin made entirely from textile waste.
Developed initially as Loop’s fiber-grade PET resin, the product’s rebrand reflects the startup’s role in helping the textile industry “transition from linear to circular systems—shifting away from virgin materials and from bottle-to-textile recycling—to give global brands a high-performance solution, per Loop. Currently, the company is “advancing discussions” with various brands on offtake agreements, from the planned India JV plant, to supply Twist as its branded product offering.
Compared to virgin PET production, making Twist generates less GHG emissions, as independently validated by Franklin Associates, a division of ERG, which conducted Loop’s life cycle assessment (LCA). Per that study, a 70,000-metric-ton Infinite Loop facility could annually save up to 418,600 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Tangentially, Loop said that Twist is the first textile-to-textile polyester resin to offer complete traceability, too.
“Twist represents a major step forward in closing the loop for textiles,” said Giovanni Catino, chief revenue officer of Loop Industries. “It supports the textile industry’s shift toward a circular model and provides a unique product offering which meets the needs of Loop’s customers as we secure agreements for the offtake of our India JV.”
For context, Loop—which recycles plastic waste and polyester textiles into new materials—entered into a 50-50 strategic partnership with Ester Industries to form the new entity called India JV in May 2024. At the time, the partners shared plans for building and operating a manufacturing facility to produce low-carbon recycled dimethyl terephthalate (rDMT) and recycled mono-ethylene glycol (rMEG)—polyester’s key building blocks—which can be used across a multitude of applications, including textile fibers.
That’s done using Loop’s Infinite Loop technology: a fully integrated, greenfield manufacturing facility solution combining chemical depolymerization tech with polymerization technology to make Loop PET resin. The patented process breaks down polyester textile waste into its base monomers (aka DMT and MEG), which are then purified to virgin status before being polymerized into Twist resin. The process removes everything—dyes, colorants, contaminants, blends—to yield a resin that’s identical (chemically speaking) to virgin polyester.
“Textile-to-textile recycling allows apparel companies to mitigate the increasing environment impact of textile waste,” Loop said. “Twist achieves the highest purity, color and dyability consistency and increases production efficiency, making it fully compatible with existing spinning and manufacturing infrastructure.”
India JV, then, will leverage this technology to produce rDMT and rMEG as well as specialty polymers, with this Infinite Loop India facility to sell Twist at “competitive pricing levels.”
Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA)
Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) will host its 2025 Advanced Functional Fabrics Summit Sept. 23-24 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
The event will bring together the textile and technology sector’s leaders, researchers, startups and government officials to explore future trends in functional fabrics and demo the latest fiber and textile innovations.
“The 2025 Summit is a pivotal opportunity to unite the brightest minds in textiles and technology. We are committed to accelerating the development of advanced fabrics that can transform industries and improve everyday life,” said AFFOA CEO Sasha Stolyarov. “This event will highlight the innovative work happening across our ecosystem and set the stage for the next wave of breakthroughs.”
The non-profit, public-private partnership’s two-day summit will feature keynotes from industry insiders, including John Kirejczyk, director of technology management and integration at the U.S. Army program responsible for rapidly developing and equipping soldiers with augmentative gear. As a PEO Soldier executive, he will discuss how fabric technologies can meet key soldier requirements. The AFFOA’s board chair and director emeritus of MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Eric Evans, will share insights on the evolving landscape of the industrial base for national defense.
The popular startup pitch competition will return to the summit as well, showcasing nascent companies with novel textile-serving solutions during what should be a dynamic session.
Wacoal America
Japan-based intimate apparel firm Wacoal America has introduced the Ever Flexing: an underwire bra engineered to “flex fit” across six traditional sizes.
“We set out to design a bra that keeps up with women’s lives,” said Miryha Fantegrossi, senior vice president of merchandising and design at Wacoal America. “As women, our bodies are ever flexing; even a change of just seven pounds can impact bra size. Our Ever Flexing bra adapts with you instead of forcing you to fit into a static size.”
The bra features a proprietary flexible underwire that reportedly supports a range of cup sizes—which are full coverage, two-ply and seamless. Four-way stretch fabric (69 percent nylon, 31 percent elastane) provides adaptivity and recovery while the five-row stretch hook-and-eye closure amps up adjustability, as do the dual-position straps. In practice, the size small’s adjustable band should fit sizes 30-34; thus encompassing the sizes 32D, 34C, 32DD, 34D, 30DDD and 32DDD.
Additionally, Wacoal America is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, noted president and CEO Mitch Kauffman.
“Throughout our journey, our focus has always been to provide women with the highest quality and best-fitting bras to help them feel and look their best,” he said. “Product innovation is a key party of that mission; the Ever Flexing bra is a bold example of how we’re meeting the changing needs of today’s woman.”
