Textile industry returning to fibres made of biomass

24 Oct '18

1 min read

The biobased textiles segment still remains handicapped by uncompetitive prices, but it appears that after less than a century of market dominance by oil-based synthetic fibres, the textiles industry is returning to fibres made of biomass. Jozef De Coster reports from Ghent, Belgium, where the Third International Conference on Biobased Textiles was held on October 16.

Many businesses in Europe have the ambition to introduce and use biobased polymers in textile applications. Biobased polymers (or, biopolymers) are increasingly commercially available and production capacity shows an impressive annual growth rate of almost 20 per cent worldwide.

However, taking into account the still marginal market position of biopolymers, the current growth rate is too little to ensure a swift transition to sustainable textile production and consumption. The price of biobased textiles is mostly too high. Governments should develop policies to reduce the use of unsustainable fibres in favour of raw materials obtained from biomass, and preferably from waste.

Belgian research institute Centexbel, which organised the 3^rd International Conference on Biobased Textiles on October 16, invited some twenty researchers from several Euopean countries to present the problems and results of their work.

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