Cover Story Biobased
Cover Story Biobased faux fur After decades of pressure from animal rights organisations and activists, all former supporters of the fur trade have now refused to work with animal fur. However, also faux fur has its drawbacks. Mostly made from petroleum-derived plastics, faux fur can be highly toxic to produce. Furthermore, it contains microplastic particles that contaminate waterways whenever the fur is washed faux fur is also non-biodegradable, further adding to its status as an environmental villain (ecowarriorprincess.com). ECOPEL, a joint venture company between a Chinese and a French Company, headquartered in Shanghai have now developed a faux fur made of partly biobased synthetic fibres. Created exclusively by Ecopel, the new product line KOBA ® Faux Fur integrates DuPont Sorona ® fibers to offer a soft, versatile, and long-lasting fur alternative for the global fashion industry. The Ecopel Koba collection ranges from classic mink styles to plush teddy style fur. There are no limitations to the artistry for this collection in terms of design, color and style. Koba faux fur is made with 70 % to 100 % Sorona homo filament fibers, creating the first commercially available faux furs using biobased ingredients. Sorona (PTT: polytrimethylenterephthalate) is DuPont’s high-performance, sustainable biopolymer technology made of 37 % annually renewable plant-based resources. The main biobased component is bio-PDO (biobased 1,3 propanediol). Compared to Nylon 6 it uses 30 % less energy and releases 63 % fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Using 100 % Sorona polymer fiber, the faux fur will feature an array of performance attributes including warmth, design flexibility, durability and dyeability. Dyeability enables more design possibilities, including unique colors not typically seen in nature, as well as the recreation of colors and patterns common in real fur. Along with their faux fur made from recycled PET bottles Koba Faux Fur is Ecopel’s strongest sustainability effort to meet the criteria of the IPCC (International Panel On Climate Change)’s target of a reduction of 45 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for 2030. Last year Christopher Sarfati, CEO of ECOPEL, declared in Le Journal du Textile a double digit earnings growth compared to the previous year. “It is probably time for ECOPEL to show the way forward not only in terms of innovation and creativity but also from an ecological perspective.” This initiative has been warmly welcomed by all brands representatives who visited Ecopel during the last Première Vision’s show held in Paris in September. “Even though this new type of faux fur is still at an early stage of development, we believe that our magic equation less factory farming – more recycling can encourage the fashion world in its globality to move towards more responsible practices. Within the fashion industry, several high-end designers and fashion brands are making commitments to abstain from the use of real fur in their collections. In fact, research analysts predict that the faux fur market will grow worldwide 19 % from 2019 to 2023. MT www.ecopel.com | www.sorona.com 30 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/20] Vol. 15
Applications Biodegradable Denim Candiani, a family-owned sustainable denim mill from Robecchetto con Induno, Italy announced last November that it has launched the world’s first biodegradable stretch denim, after years of research and development. The new bio-stretch selvage denim was created in partnership with Dutch denim-maker Denham from Amsterdam. The jeans are made using Candiani’s patented Coreva ® Stretch Technology. “In fact about 80 % of the market is made of stretch Jeans and if we look at the huge landfill issue what is interfering with possible biodegradable or compostable properties of Denim is the synthetic elastomer,” Alberto Candiani, owner of Candiani Denim told bioplastics MAGAZINE. Thus the Coreva technology is based on plant-based yarns, including custom-engineered natural rubber, which goes through a specific vulcanization process. It replaces synthetic fossil based and non-degradable elastomers, performs even better at high elasticity levels and is fully biodegrade together with the organic cotton which wraps it. So, the partners can offer stretch jeans made from renewable resources that are entirely free from conventional petroleum based and non-degradable polymers and microplastics without compromising elasticity, recovery and durability But not only the jeans-fabric itself is biobased and biodegradable. “Consider that plastics and micro-plastics are a bigger issue in Denim production because of the dyeing and finishes processes,” Alberto said. That is why in 2017 Candiani has licensed a specific technology called Kitotex ® to be used in the dyeing and finishing process of the denim fabrics instead of EVA. The patented technology drastically reduces the consumption of water, chemicals and energy in the fabric production process. Kitotex is derived from Chitosan, a naturally occurring polymer obtained by recycling the exoskeleton of shrimp. These shrimps are farmed in South East Asia, consumed in the food industry and the exoskeleton is then turned into Kitotex. During the extraction process of Chitosan all protein is removed excluding any threat of allergic reaction. The natural polymer is used as an ingredient in the dyeing and finishing process. “That means no more liquid plastic goes on our yarns, in our water discharges and no plastic residual remains on the pair of Jeans made with Candiani Denim, Alberto said “It allows us to use 30 % less energy, 50 % less water, and 70 % less chemicals”. Elasticized with the exclusive Coreva Technology in combination with Candiani’s dyeing and finishing technology the company has created a never before seen eco-compatible stretch denim fabric that disintegrates in a matter of months. “We are not doing this because there is a demand, but because it’s the right thing to do.” Alberto said in the business-news at www.sportswear-international.com. The first range of bio-stretch selvedge is exclusive to Denham, and available immediately at Denham stores and on its website. The collection includes limited and individually numbered jeans in its signature York and Razor styles for men. MT www.candianidenim.it | www.denhamthejeanmaker.com Amount of water (liters) and chemicals (kg) needed to wash this jeans 25 — 20 — Conventional Denim Fabric 20 Amount of water (liters) and chemicals (kg) needed to produce 1,5m of fabric for this jeans Denim with KITOTEX ® + INDIGO JUICE ® — 1 Conventional Denim Fabric 70 70 — 60 — 50 — 40 — Denim with KITOTEX ® + INDIGO JUICE ® — 1,5 — 1,25 — 1 15 — 10 — 5 — 0 — 0,5 -50 -70 10 0,15 — 0,75 — 0,5 — 0,25 — 0 30 — 20 — 10 — 0 — 0,12 -83 -60 12 0,05 — 0,75 — 0,5 — 0,25 — 0 bioplastics MAGAZINE [01/20] Vol. 15 31
