At the upcoming ISPO Munich 2023, the world’s largest sports trade fair, taking place November 28-30, UPM Biochemicals and Vaude will introduce the world’s first fleece jacket made from wood-based polyester. The aim of the collaboration is to demonstrate the feasibility of using bio-based chemicals in textiles and address the urgent need for sustainable solutions in the fashion and footwear industries.
Michael Duetsch, vice president of biochemicals at Finnish bio-based forestry company UPM, emphasizes the importance of this milestone in responding to the challenges of the fashion industry. The bio-based fleece jacket represents a move away from fossil materials and offers industry leaders a viable solution for the use of renewable materials.
Vaude, the German provider of mountain sports equipment, is known for its commitment to sustainability and sees this collaboration as confirmation of the attractiveness of its sustainable product portfolio. By promoting a biorefinery company that offers bio-based, renewable materials, the company aims to help global brands reduce their carbon footprint and move away from fossil-based products.
Currently, around 60 percent of the materials used in the fashion industry are derived from fossil polymers. The bio-based fleece jacket prototype aims to inspire brands to adopt more sustainable bio-based solutions and thus accelerate change in the textile industry.
60 percent of fashion textiles come from fossil fuels
The key innovation of the process is that 30 percent of the monoethylene glycol (MEG) in the polyester resin is replaced with a new bio-monoethylene glycol (BioMEG). UPM BioPura, the drop-in solution used in this process, is molecularly identical to traditional MEG, making it compatible with existing polyester manufacturing processes and recycling streams.
“We partnered with UPM because partnerships across the entire value chain are a prerequisite for driving sustainable innovation. This first milestone marks the first step on our path to developing a polyester made from non-fossil ingredients,” commented René Bethmann, Senior Innovation Manager at Vaude, in a statement.
“Producing outerwear from bio-based chemicals is part of our shift to renewable materials in the textile and clothing industry value chain – we want 90 percent of all our products to be bio-based or have a recycled content of more than 50 percent,” adds Bethmann.
UPM’s €1,180 million investment to build the world’s first industrial-scale biorefinery in Leuna, Saxony-Anhalt, reflects a broader commitment to the transition to renewable materials. The biorefinery will convert sustainably sourced hardwood into biochemicals, contributing to the transition from fossil to renewable materials in various industries.
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk. Translated and edited by Simone Preuss.