More than half of the materials used in the textile industry are made from fossil raw materials. Polyester and polyurethane fibers, which are cheap but energy-intensive and pollute the environment, are particularly popular. The production of bio-based chemicals on an industrial scale is now intended to drive the textile industry's turnaround toward sustainability. To this end, the Finnish specialty chemicals company UPM Biochemicals and the German outdoor specialist VAUDE have agreed on a partnership. Working closely together, they want to produce outdoor textiles from sustainably sourced forest biomass. The first product: a fleece jacket made from wood-based polyester.

Prototype for fossil-free textiles

"VAUDE is an example of moving away from petroleum-based textiles and reducing emissions that the entire industry needs to follow," says Michael Duetsch, Vice President Biochemicals at UPM. "With VAUDE, we are prototyping a world beyond fossils and proving that the next level of sustainable textiles is already possible."

Sustainable polyester production in Leuna

Specifically, the resin used to produce polyester, which typically consists of 30% petroleum-based monoethylene glycol, is being completely replaced by a new bio-monoethylene glycol. This is a wood-based chemical developed by UMP called BioPura. According to the company, the innovative material "can be easily integrated into existing polyester production, as it is molecularly identical to its fossil-based counterpart. BioPura is produced at UMP's German site in the Leuna Chemical Park. There, the Finnish company is currently building the first industrial biorefinery for the production of wood-based biochemicals. The plant is expected to produce a total of 220,000 metric tons per year and go on stream at the end of 2023.

"By integrating UPM's bio-based materials, we can further explore and exploit the opportunities of the circular economy. This means using less, sourcing basic materials from the most renewable sources possible and ensuring that the product can remain in the value chain after its useful life," says René Bethmann, Senior Innovation Manager at VAUDE.

Transformation in the chemical industry is possible

With this partnership, UMP wants to show that "transformative steps in the chemical industry towards renewable materials are now possible". In addition to the collaboration with VAUDE, other collaborations along the value chain for the production of the wood fiber-based fleece jacket have been established. Indorama Ventures, one of the world's leading chemical companies, will polymerize and spin a polyester yarn containing BioPura at its German site in Guben, according to UMP. In a second step, Italian textile manufacturer Pontetorto, based in Prato, will process this yarn into a novel, bio-based polyester fabric, which VAUDE will use to make the garment.

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