Genomatica & Aquafil produce first plant-based nylon-6 textile yarn

San Diego-based Genomatica and Aquafil, of Arco, Italy, have completed the first demonstration-scale manufacturing runs of plant-based nylon 6.

The businesses have produced the first tons of the building block caprolactam, turned it into nylon 6 polymer, and are currently changing it for use in nylon applications such as yarns for textiles and carpets, as well as engineering plastics.

These pre-commercial amounts will aid in the development of future commercial facilities’ final designs. The material will be sent to prominent worldwide companies and their value chain partners that are ready to investigate and develop sustainable products, produce showcase items, and evaluate customer response.

Christophe Schilling, Genomatica CEO, said that global businesses are taking action now more than ever to include sustainable materials in their good. n this situation, we’re aiming to develop purposeful, traceable, and transparent supply chains for nylon 6, with the objective of providing more sustainable goods that customers want and material solutions that can help businesses accomplish their ESG goals.

Giulio Bonazzi, Aquafil CEO, said that the world needs every feasible strategy implemented to make supply chains sustainable, and producing bio-based nylon is a critical element of that. Plant-based nylon can complement their technique of depolymerizing nylon goods at the end of their useful life flawlessly.

Genomatica’s third significant product line on the verge of commercialization is plant-based nylon 6. The firm has entered into high-impact agreements with a variety of companies to expedite the worldwide commercialization of sustainable materials, with the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100 million tons in the coming years. A collaboration with lululemon on plant-based materials, a production milestone with partner Covestro for plant-based HMD used in sustainable coatings, a partnership with Asahi Kasei, and a newly formed venture with Unilever to commercialize and scale plant-based feedstocks to make key ingredients used in everyday cleaning and personal care products are among recent milestones.