Following the market success of its naNea marine biodegradable performance polyester, Swiss polymer science company OceanSafe has introduced coNea, a patented, 100% bio-based compound made from PHA, PBS, and lignin.

Both naNea and coNea are produced in chip form as drop-in technologies for extrusion and melt spinning. However, Matthias Fuchs, Chief Marketing Officer at OceanSafe, explained that coNea targets different applications, products, and processes than the naNea co-polyester.

In collaboration with the ITA Institute in Aachen, Germany, OceanSafe has successfully achieved compounding, extrusion, and melt-spinning into POY on a semi-industrial scale, followed by air-texturizing and flat knitting. The resulting fabrics are said to be softer than cotton, silk-like, and highly absorbent, while being rapidly biodegradable and Cradle to Cradle Gold certified.

“Today we are at technology readiness level 6 with coNea,” said Fuchs. “It is engineered to perform, low-impact, and safe. We will continue to optimise processes and properties as we scale toward industrial production. We invite interested partners to join the coNea Collective, a group of pioneering brands and manufacturers shaping the next phase of coNea innovation.”