Biofibre Shirt Enters Mountain Sports Market

If you believe that cotton, flax and hemp are the only natural fibres that can be used to make clothes, you are wrong. A new fibre, called IngeoTM, not only promises comfortable to wear clothing but is also environmentally friendly.

Biofibre shirt captures the market for mountain sports clothing. Photo: Salewa

IngeoTM is a new synthetic fibre made from plant carbons, which has already established itself in the textile market. The fibre is made from polylactide (PLA). PLA is a biodegradable thermoplastic that is also used to produce cookware or packaging.

Polylactidesare a natural product – they are made from plants and are produced by a natural process. PLA production has hardly changed since the 19th century. The initial material used in the process is lactic acid. Plant sugars are fermented and turned into lactic acid that is then converted into polymers known as polylactide. This substance can be manufactured into a range of products. However, its suitability for outerwear remains to be seen.

Fabric or fleece made from PLA can be used in many areas. However, before plant polyesters can be accepted as a new class of materials, sufficient amounts of this 100% renewable material need to be produced and tested. The Institute for Polymer Technology (IKT) at the University of Stuttgart is working in co-operation with the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V. to develop a specific process for the production of polylactide fleece. Together they aim to produce a sufficient amount of fleece for use in clothes, fabric, geotextiles (e.g. for the fixation of slopes) or filtration material. PLA fibres have long been established for use as absorbent surgical suture material. The biodegradability feature of the material will most likely not be so important in other applications. According to the IGT, the technical features of the new material are of greater interest for many applications.
The natural-based synthetic fibre has a considerable market volume. Germany is not only the biggest producer of PLA in Europe but also the largest consumer of fleece materials.


Source: Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e.V.