Challenge
Stretch is a key technical property of fashion and performance fabrics. To achieve stretch & elasticity, apparel fabrics often use fossil-derived materials. Transitioning away from these materials to bio-based materials produced with regenerative principles is crucial for a circular economy, where waste and pollution is eliminated, products and materials are circulated, and nature is regenerated.
Elastane, popular for its remarkable elasticity & comfort, poses notable environmental concerns. These include:
- Resource depletion: Elastane is derived from non-renewable resources like crude oil and natural gas. Exploiting these resources to produce elastane-blended textiles contributes to the depletion of finite fossil fuels and natural gas reserves.
- Carbon emissions: The production of elastane relies on crude oil - consuming energy and generating greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and global warming. In fact, the fast fashion textile industry accounts for 2 - 8% of total GHG emissions, and the carbon footprint of elastane is higher than that of acrylic and polyester.
- Microplastic pollution: Elastane is not biodegradable. Instead of decomposing naturally over time, it persists in the environment and contributes to microplastic pollution. When elastane-containing garments are washed, tiny synthetic fibers shed and find their way into rivers, lakes, and oceans. These microplastics pose adverse risks to marine life and are evidenced to enter the food chain. Nearly 60% of the plastic pollution found in marine environments is composed of non-biodegradable clothing fibers.
- Waste to landfill: Elastane is a non-biodegradable material that doesn’t break down naturally over time. When elastane-containing garments reach the end of their life cycle, they are most often disposed of in landfills. Nearly 85% of the textiles produced annually end up in landfills. This accumulation of non-biodegradable textiles exacerbates the growing waste crisis and the burden of landfill capacity.
- Not currently recyclable: Although elastane makes up a small percentage (often only between 1 - 5%), fabric blends containing the material are complicated to recycle. This is because the complex composition and combination of materials in elastane-containing garments make it challenging to separate and recycle effectively. While many of the yarns and textiles used to produce apparel (pure cotton, polyester, polyamide, etc.) are readily recyclable when they are in their 100% form, when elastane is added to materials - even in little amounts - conventional recycling techniques become challenging, if not impossible. As a result, most elastane-containing garments are disposed of as mixed waste, reducing opportunities for circularity and conversion of waste into value.
Approach
To foster innovation toward bio-based stretch fabric alternatives that are environmentally and socially responsible compared to their petrochemical counterparts, Materiom and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation engaged a cohort of fashion brands - including PVH Corp, Ralph Lauren, and Reformation - and bio-based material developers in a collaborative project.
The project focused on assessing the challenges and opportunities of developing 100% bio-based alternatives for elastane. By mapping the innovation landscape and harnessing key learnings from across the value chain, the project aimed to create a pre-competitive environment that encourages knowledge sharing, unlocks participation, and speeds up innovation in this space.
Outcomes
A global landscape overview of bio-based stretch fiber suppliers was developed through desk research and expert interviews.
- The landscape overview spotlights 46 high-potential suppliers of bio-based elastane alternatives globally, mapping company size, technology readiness level (TRL), commercial readiness, and feedstocks and certifications for each.
- Detailed interviews took place with 10 engaged innovators - profiles of these providers are available for cohort members on request.
- Insights gathered during a webinar series designed to facilitate shared learnings among fashion brands and technical experts are summarized in the summary report.
- A subsequent project, led by Materiom, will focus on practical experimentation with a group of high-potential partners.
Partners
Brand participants: Ralph Lauren, PVH Corp, Reformation, Mango, C&A
Innovators profiled: TIRA, Cambrium, CSIRO, Mango Materials, Nanoloom, Spideytek, Werewool, Yulex
Webinar speakers: Representative from Ralph Lauren; Libby Sommer, Morpho Collective / Libby Sommer LLC; Krystle Moody Wood, Materevolve; Saloni Doshi, Eco-Enclose
Learn more
View the project summary report here.
Brands and other organisations — supply chain partners, technical specialists, philanthropists, and non-profits — interested in collaborating in a subsequent innovation project are invited to get in touch via hello@materiom.org
