German Consortium develops bio-based polyethylene textiles

BIOTEXFUTURE Innovation Space, TECNARO, BB Engineering, FALKE and the Institute for Textile Technology (ITA) at RWTH Aachen University have jointly developed textiles made from bio-based polyethylene (bioPE) within the bioPEtex Project.

In the project, TECNARO is responsible for developing the bio-based polyethylene compounds and managing their dyeing process. ITA is focused on developing manufacturing processes for melt spinning, producing partially oriented yarn (POY), as well as false-twist texturing to create draw-textured yarn (DTY). BB Engineering carries out the false-twist texturing at an industrial scale, while FALKE is developing the final T-shirt and applying a bio-based finish to improve elasticity.

The successful production of the first T-shirt using the newly developed bioPE yarns highlights the strong potential of the material. This achievement marks an important milestone and provides a foundation for assessing market readiness in the next stages of the project.

The white bioPE T-shirt stands out for its cool and soft feel, offering comfort suitable for sports and active use. However, further development, testing and optimisation are still required before the product can be introduced to the market on a commercial scale.