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.
Biofabricate
Biomaterials-focused organization Biofabricate has announced its latest endeavor: the Biofab Fair.
“We’ve championed the biomaterial movement since day one. Now more than ever, it’s time to show what the future looks like when design meets biology,” said Biofabricate founder and CEO Suzanne Lee. “The Biofab Fair places design at the heart of bioinnovation—where ideas meet action and new materials and ingredients become real-world solutions.”
Drawing inspiration from the World’s fairs, the Biofab Fair is slated for September 16-17 at London’s Big Penny Social in the Walthamstow design district. The London Design Festival partner’s two-day event will comprise live-stage talks and design-forward exhibitions to demonstrate what’s both technically possible and otherwise particularly interesting.
“The Biofab Fair creates space for both critical dialogue and creative exploration—connecting bioinnovation directly to design thinking, aesthetics and brand storytelling,” the London Design Festival said of its partner, noting Biofabricate’s ability to fuse cutting-edge science and technology with era-appropriate aesthetics. “It’s a gathering place for those who believe materials are not just components—but carriers of meaning, identity and impact.”
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As it stands, 16 exhibitors have been announced, including the Kering-backed Sqim’s “radical by nature” mycelium-based Mogu and B Corp Ettitude’s bamboo PLNTmatter as well as Macau next-gen manufacturer ISA and Canadian “zombie cell” cleantech company OzoneBio, among others.
Carbios
French biotechnology firm Carbios has inked its multi-year commercial commitment with Indorama Ventures, a prominent petrochemical (and polyester) producer listed in Thailand that made $14.6 billion in 2021.
The signing comes some 44 months after the partners first announced the plan’s greenlight in November 2023—and seven months after pumping the brakes. Per the agreement, Carbios will supply recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) monomers, which will be “transformed into filaments by Indorama Ventures and used to reinforce Michelin tires,” per a joint statement.
More specifically, Carbios will produce these monomers using its proprietary enzymatic PET recycling technology, from complex PET waste at its future Longlaville plant—some 400 kilometers (nearly 250 miles) from Paris. Indorama Ventures will handle the repolymerization process and the technical filaments production, which Michelin will use in its tire reinforcements.
For Carbios, the commercial engagement “marks a new step in the realization” of its industrial project, managing director Vincent Kamel said, by confirming the collaborator’s confidence in its PET biorecycling technology. “[The] commitment illustrates our ability to provide innovative solutions to the most demanding industries,” Kamel said in a statement. “Particularly industrial filaments for tire applications and therefore textiles in general.”
That commitment is part of the “pre-commercialization dynamic of the future Carbios industrial site,” the company said, and follows the late-May signing of its first sales contracts for biorecycled PET with cosmetics companies L’oréal and L’Occitane en Provence.
Vivobarefoot
London-based footwear brand Vivobarefoot has launched the Gobi: a next-gen sneaker made with mushroom-based materials.
The Gobi reportedly comprises 98 percent natural materials, listing Natural Fiber Welding’s Clarus, Mirum and Pliant offerings as inputs on the brand’s website (and retailing for 96 pounds).
The “solution” for its first vegan-certified sneaker came through a partnership with HyphaLite—an offering out of Macau firm ISA TanTec, which bills itself as an eco-friendly leather manufacturer—Vivobarefoot said, noting that the Gobi’s top layer, a natural mushroom-latex hybrid, is “incredibly versatile.”
Circ
Danville, Va.-based polycotton recycling innovator Circ announced a strategic partnership with Sanyou Chemical Fiber, a China-based large-scale cellulose fiber manufacturer under the Tangshan Sanyou Group umbrella.
“As one of the leading global MMCF producers, Sanyou’s commitment to Circ demonstrates both the quality of our product and the future of the industry,” said Peter Majeranowski, CEO of Circ. “Core to Circ—from our technology and products to our partnerships and business strategies—is creating forward momentum towards a truly circular economy in the global fashion industry, and strategic partnerships such as with Sanyou are crucial for the realization of this goal.”
Working to bolster the textile-to-textile recycler’s efforts in scaling its recycled lyocell fibers, Sanyou agreed to buy at least 2,400 metric tons of Circ’s pulp (per year and over a committed, five-year period) from Circ’s first commercial-scale facility, which should be operational by 2028, the polycotton blend recycler said. In turn, theoretically, the partnership should yield 30 production of 30 percent recycled content lyocell staple fibers, a joint statement read.
“Both Sanyou and Circ are dedicated in their commitment to fostering sustainable practices that reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry,” said Zhang Dongbin, deputy general manager of Sanyou. “This strategic partnership will establish new benchmarks in the textile industry thanks to our shared vision for a sustainable future and circular economy.”
