Sometimes I look back and can’t believe what we have accomplished with dimpora. I am very proud of where we are right now and the team we managed to, somehow, convince to work with us ;). If I can be an example for young girls to pursue science and/or create their own businesses then, I’ll be definitely very proud.
When we read “biobased” somewhere, we tend to associate it with something sustainable and good for the planet. But is this always the case? This is usually a complex topic, especially when it comes to the textile industry.
The term bio-based refers to the feedstocks (starting materials) that are used to produce the material. Biobased products are composed in whole, or in considerable part, of biological products, renewable agricultural materials, or forestry materials.
It is NOT the same as biodegradable.
Not all bio-based polymers are biodegradable.
Not all biodegradable polymers are bio-based.
Biodegradability describes how a plastic product behaves at the end of its life and does not take into account what raw materials are used to produce the polymeric material.
Biodegradable polymers can be converted to biomass, CO2, and water through a thermochemical process in a specified time frame and in specified disposal environments. However, the raw material feedstock utilized can be either fossil-based or bio-based.
That a product is bio-based doesn’t mean it’s 100% made of bio-based feedstock. Usually, they are mixed with oil-based products to meet the performance requirements of the material such as flexibility, strength, or waterproofness. In the textile industry, it is particularly difficult to find a bio-based membrane that meets high-performance standards and has a bio-based content higher than 30% [1].
Nowadays, most bio-based biopolymers are derived from the so-called first-generation feedstock, which includes edible biomass such as sugar, starch, and plant oils, and nonedible sources such as natural rubber. Other commonly used raw materials come from the fermentation of sugars derived from crops (sugarcane and beets) or the ethanol produced as a result of starch hydrolysis.
However, biopolymers obtained from edible materials are in direct competition with food and animal feed production. In particular, the production of biopolymers is claimed to have the same disadvantages/side effects associated with biofuels, i.e., raising food costs, and deforestation to create extra cultivation fields.
This led the biopolymers industry to seek alternative feedstocks that will not compete with food markets in the future. Two categories of feedstock dominate research, namely non-edible biomass, the so-called second-generation feedstock, and alternative sources.
Second-generation feedstocks include food waste (non-edible, nonfood supplies such as waste cooking oil or fat and waste potato skins) products and lignocellulose: short rotation coppices and lignocellulose by-products such as forestry and agricultural residues. The main components of these materials are cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin.
New technologies have enabled further investigation also in the field of 3rd and 4th generation feedstocks: algae & seaweed, and captured CO2, respectively.
Algae biomass and seaweed can be utilized in biopolymer blends together with other material components and additives. Besides, algae itself produces a variety of biopolymer building blocks such as carbohydrates and hydrocarbons, which can be extracted from the medium without harming the algae culture.
Utilization of captured CO2 in polymeric materials is currently a hot topic in the industry and research fields, and CO2-based polymers have diversified in the last few years [2]. Researchers have said that:
“all chemical products currently manufactured from fossil raw materials can be produced from CO2” [3].
This could be a great solution to tackle the continuously growing GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, however, several technical challenges still need to be overcome before the utilization of captured CO2 on a widespread basis.
Renewable feedstock
Reduced carbon footprint
Supports circular economy when waste and side streams can be utilized as feedstocks
Can have similar material properties to the conventional oil-based ones
For example, fossil-based polyethylene vs. bio-based polyethylene → polymer properties are similar only the raw material feedstock is different
The material is recyclable in existing recycling streams that are set for similar oil-based materials
The membrane can be produced using existing thermoplastic manufacturing machinery
Bio-based polymers are usually more expensive than fossil-based ones
Not available as large quantities as fossil-based polymers
Producing larger quantities of bio-based materials requires more land to grow the crops (depending on which feedstock is used)
Sustainability and responsibility must be considered when food crops are used as a feedstock
At dimpora, we’re currently developing a highly bio-based membrane. If you want to know more, please get in touch with us: info@dimpora.com
[1] Niaounakis M. (2015). Biopolymers: Processing and Products. William Andrew Publishing. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-323-26698-7.00001-5
[2] Renewable Carbon News. (2021). Carbon Dioxide (CO2) as Chemical Feedstock for Polymers – already nearly 1 million tonnes production capacity installed!
Available at: https://renewable-carbon.eu/news/carbon-dioxide-co2-as-chemical-feedstock-for-polymers-already-nearly-1-million-tonnes-production-capacity-installed/
[3] Lehtonen, J., Järnefelt, V., Alakurtti, S., Arasto, A., Hannula, I., Harlin, A., Koljonen, T., Lantto, R., Lienemann, M. and Onarheim, K.,Pitkänen J. & Tähtinen M. (2019). 2019: The Carbon Reuse Economy: Transforming CO2 from a pollutant into a resource. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (Ed.). Available: www.cris.vtt.fi/ws/portalfiles/portal/25089333/190620_FINAL_WEB_VTT_CE_Discussion_Paper_PAGES_display.pdf
IZADORA
She is a creative pragmatist and a material innovation nerd. She founded Aibryd to build a dialogue between science and fashion in a simple and realizable way and to offer a new approach to fashion creation for a positive future.
Aibryd is a clothing brand merging nature, technology, and design to rethink how clothes are made.
We believe that what influences design today are our lifestyles, shifts in trends, and new materials. Design changes through the application of these new materials and their function.
Design is planning, it’s intervening, it’s changing things. How the garment is made, how the garment is worn, how the garment affects you, and how the garment affects the planet.
We want to build a more positive future for dressing by creating clothing in a thoughtful, innovative way, challenging the norms of the industry.
Aibryd combines quality, performance, and material innovation with feminine aesthetics for the adventures of our every day. It is functional beauty; a contemporary wardrobe for a ‘conscious explorer’.
The aim of our project is to balance the dualities of commerce and environmentalism to find collaborative solutions between science and design.
At Aibryd, we want to become not a fashion brand, but a platform where different host designers collaborate with material innovators to introduce new solutions with a positive environmental impact.
By focusing on transdisciplinary collaborations, we aim to create capsule collections that meet the needs of consumers and simultaneously introduce the newest sustainable innovative materials to the fashion market. In doing so, Aibryd becomes a translator, a connector and a mediator between the disciplines.
Fashion and textile industry’s sustainability issues are not black and white. There is no one simple solution that will quickly fix all problems. But we believe that if we build a dialogue between scientific research and creative design, we can address problems and find common solutions that will meet the needs of consumers and the industry alike.
By partnering with not only material science start-ups but also different individuals from diverse industries with disparate skills, we aim to balance the contradictions of the fashion industry.
This collaboration, knowledge, and resource sharing, foster collective problem-solving and cultivates sustainable fashion solutions, triggering vital shifts in the industry. And this makes sustainable transformation happen faster.
Clothing doesn’t just affect our bodies - it affects the environment we live in.
Every garment has hidden layers, at first invisible, that only become apparent later. dimpora is solving one of the most crucial issues in the water-proof textile space, the dangerous chemicals that can't be seen, but leave a big mark on our health and the health of the planet.
Because people at dimpora believe in the preservation and conservation of nature while enabling innovation in quality and performance, and because they continue to innovate, they are the perfect collaborator for Aibryd. I believe that this collaboration will bring great things!
On their mission of detoxifying the fashion industry, the ZDHC Foundation (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) has updated the MRSL (Manufacturing Restricted Substances List) with a 3.0 version extending the list of harmful chemical substances to be restricted in their use and including all PFAS treatments.
“The new ZDHC MRSL Version 3.0 sets a clear and unified signal from the apparel and footwear sector of the chemistries that need to be avoided across this and other manufacturing sectors as well as where innovation is needed. The restriction on all PFAS for textile, leather, and footwear finishing is consistent with growing scientific and policy concerns about the impacts of the class of PFAS chemicals. We look forward to working with ZDHC in growing the commercialisation, adoption, scale of safer, more sustainable chemistries and materials to address the toxicity, biodiversity, and climate impacts of our current generation of chemicals.”
- Joel Tickner, ScD, Professor of Public Health UMass Lowell and Executive Director Green Chemistry & Commerce Council.”
The updated ZDHC MRSL V3.0 will align with bluesign’s planned removal of all existing bluesign® APPROVED PFAS-containing formulations from the bluesign® FINDER in order to restrict PFAS under REACH for all non-essential uses including in consumer products. Read more: The Future of PFAS
It is imperative that the industry starts moving away from PFAS toward sustainable and circular options.
