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.
FlowFit Activewear
Fitness and lifestyle label FlowFit Activewear has dropped its first collection.
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The British brand focused on providing sustainable, premium and reliable activewear’s first collection consists of three capsules: the Power Flow, Easy Flow and Yoga Flow range. All are made with materials including orange peels, sugar cane packaging, regenerated nylon sourced from post-consumer waste as well as plastic rescued from the ocean.
The Easy Flow collection incorporates byproducts of citrus production within its material matrix, reportedly 80 percent “EcoVera” viscose and 20 percent orange viscose. The other collections, however, appear to be 73 percent regenerated nylon.
Lenzing
Regenerated cellulose fiber supplier Lenzing has hit a “significant milestone” in its partnership with CPL Prodotti Chimici, a chemical supplier for the textile sector, with Lenzing’s Acetic Acid Biobased as the crux of the collab. Universe, owner of the fashion label Calzedonia, will use Lenzing for its fibers as well as for this byproduct of pulp production, which will be used to dye textiles.
“Thanks to its high purity and low carbon footprint, our Lenzing Acetic Acid Biobased plays a central role in many industrial processes,” said Elisabeth Stanger, Lenzing Group’s senior director biorefinery and co-products. “This strategic alliance underlines the industry’s trust in Lenzing and our biorefinery products.”
The biorefinery process at Lenzing makes “optimal use” of its renewable raw material wood, converting it into things like bio-based acetic acid (aka a renewable alternative to petroleum-based options as it’s made from natural feedstocks like fermented sugars and wood pulp).
“Our partnership with Lenzing, which has been based on trust and respect since the early 1990s, has always maintained a high level of quality. We are looking forward to the next step that combines quality with sustainability,” said Marco Lanzetti, owner of CPL Prodotti Chimici. “As the first license partner for Lenzing Acetic Acid Biobased, we are proud to be able to promote Lenzing as a brand to our customers, such as Oniverse, in the textile market, reduce our carbon footprint and achieve our sustainability goals.”
Rheom Materials
Next-gen startup Rheom Materials has entered a strategic partnership with thermoplastic extrusion and lamination company Bixby International, marking a “significant milestone” for the Houston-based journey toward commercial-scale production of its novel, biobased Shorai.
Shorai, the company’s flagship product, is a biobased leather alternative combining the performance of traditional leather with less environmentally damaging materials. Extruded as a continuous sheet and having more than 92 percent biobased content, Shorai achieves an 80 percent reduction in carbon footprint compared to synthetic leather. The Bixby partnership should help Rheom meet demand for this scalable and price-competitive material.
Bixby is globally renowned for delivering innovative and precise thermoplastic extrusion product development in spec and on time. With 150 years of experience and an ISO 9001:2015 Certified Quality Management System, the polymer pro’s state-of-the-art equipment makes Bixby an ideal partner for Rheom. As part of the agreement, Bixby is taking a minority ownership stake in Rheom, though Sourcing Journal could not confirm specifics.
“Solving for both lower CO2 emissions as well as end-of-life issues in the world of plastics has long been something that we at Bixby believe needs to be addressed by our industry,” said Dennis Lauzon, chief revenue officer at Bixby International. “We are very eager to participate alongside Rheom with the introduction of these novel biobased compounds.”
“Partnering with Bixby International enables us to harness their extensive expertise in the extrusion industry and its entire supply chain, facilitating the successful scale-up of Shorai production,” said Carolina Amin Ferril, chief technology officer at Rheom Materials. “Their highly competitive and adaptable capabilities will allow us to offer more solutions and exceed our customers’ expectations.”
Earlier this month, Rheom began the first pilot-scale trial at its new partner’s plant, with plans to produce prototype Shorai samples on the horizon. Rheom is also working toward achieving a production-scale, continuous roll of biobased Shorai shortly thereafter. Along with larger sheet production, Bixby enables various texture applications that enhance the haptics of Shorai. Plus, the Bixby production lines allow for laminated multilayer sheets, offering further customization for various applications.
