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Spiber expands production in the U.S.
March 13th, 2023
Japanese biotech company Spiber Inc., the makers of branded “Brewed Protein” fibers derived from sugar cane and agricultural residues, expects to increase its production capacity shortly due to its partnership with U.S. industrial biomaterials developer ADM. The company is also researching how to make its polymers from cellulosic textile waste. According to a report in Ecotextile […]
The year ahead in textiles
January 9th, 2023
Spools are stored nearby for use in a manufacturing facility at NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles. Photo: Janet Preus. Will 2023 be the year that heralds a deglobalized, but more highly networked, textile industry? If so, what might that look like? One may look at this topic through four different lenses, starting with the […]
Microalgae used to develop materials for fabric
May 5th, 2020
The textile industry is set to put microalgae to work to develop materials for fabrics, apparel and footwear, according to a Sportstextile.com article. Companies around the world are collaborating, researching and producing materials using some of the simplest organisms. Finishes Research has made algae’s contributions to the textile industry into a rapidly changing landscape, the article reports. […]
Sustainability and value
April 13th, 2020
The textile industry turns to biomaterials and biomimetics for green alternatives. by Glenna B. Musante Textile and outdoor gear communities are looking for ways to limit the use of petroleum products. To achieve this goal, apparel and gear brands, as well as ingredient manufacturers within the textile industry supply chain, are beginning to replace or augment […]
Naturally brilliant
October 7th, 2016
If nature has figured out a pretty good way to do something, it would make sense to try and copy it, right? Lizards that change color for camouflage … moisture that beads up and rolls right off a lotus leaf … the aerodynamics of a humpback whale, pirouetting under water … tree frogs that climb […]
Biomimetics and biotextiles
October 7th, 2016
Imitating nature offers sustainable choices in new textiles. Nature provides the inspiration for many innovations, including in the field of textiles. Some efforts, however, are quite specific in imitating nature. In fact, an entire field of science has blossomed under the name “biomimetics,” a term first coined in 1969 by Dr. Otto Schmitt, who spent […]