Specialty Fabrics Review October 2021 - 12

[ BRIEFS ] swatches
LanzaTech and lululemon to develop fabric
using recycled carbon emissions
B
iotechnology company LanzaTech, Skokie, Ill., is partnering with athletic apparel
company lululemon to create what the companies say will be the world's first yarn
and fabric using recycled carbon emissions that would otherwise be emitted to the
atmosphere as pollution.
LanzaTech uses nature-based solutions to produce ethanol from waste carbon sources
(FENC) of
and is working with partners India Glycols Ltd. and Far Eastern New Century®
Taiwan to convert ethanol to polyester.
Recycling carbon is a fundamental element of the circular economy. The process of
capturing and recycling carbon before it is released into the atmosphere is an innovation that
LanzaTech has brought to airlines, home care companies and now textile production.
The company's process sources carbon from different types of feedstocks, from industrial
emissions to syngas from gasified agricultural or household waste, including textile waste,
and atmospheric CO2. The gas stream is fermented by LanzaTech's special microorganisms
into ethanol or other chemicals. The process is like traditional fermentation, except instead
of sugars and yeast, it uses the carbon contained in waste gases and the microorganisms.
The resulting FENC TopGreen Bio3-PET fiber possesses not only the same appearance
but also the same properties and functionality of virgin polyester, according to the partners.
Polyester fiber is one of the most
popular synthetic fibers that commonly
uses petroleum-based feedstock.
Waste-gas-based polyester formation
would be a sustainable solution for
the polyester industry, according to
partners LanzaTech and lululemon.
Photo: LanzaTech.
Polartec eliminates PFAS across
its performance fabrics line
M
Polartec has eliminated
PFAS in its durable waterrepellent
treatments with
no loss of performance,
according to company
leaders. Photo: Polartec.
illiken & Co. brand Polartec®
has announced that it has eliminated
per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in its durable waterrepellent
(DWR) treatments across its line of performance fabrics.
A non-PFAS weather protection fabric treatment, offering zero loss of
durability or water repellency according to the company, is the latest in
Polartec's EcoEngineering™
initiative.
As part of its sustainability efforts, Polartec has prioritized performance
and longevity as it worked to eliminate PFAS in its DWR treatments. The
new treatment will be used in the company's weather protection fabrics and
extend to fleece and insulation treatments for greater moisture management.
" Trial results have exceeded even our expectations, " says Mike Rose, Polartec vice
president of product development. " There is no loss of performance from a water repellency
or durability standpoint. "
" Achieving non-PFAS treatments within our product line is an important milestone in our
commitment to sustainably made performance fabrics, " adds Steve Layton, Polartec president.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, certain PFAS are very persistent in the
environment and in the human body, meaning they don't break down and can accumulate over
time. There is evidence that exposure to PFAS can lead to adverse human health effects.
Since inventing the original PolarFleece®
in 1981, Polartec engineers have created problemsolving
technologies for products that are used by performance, lifestyle and workwear brands
from around the world, the U.S. military and allied militaries, and contract upholstery markets.
12 SPECIALTY FABRICS REVIEW / October 2021

Specialty Fabrics Review October 2021

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