The purpose-driven materials science and apparel company, Pangaia is partnering with Avantium and its plant-based and recyclable material PEF to create a new collection that is 100% fossil fuel free and recyclable.
PEF – or polyethylene furanoate – is made from FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) which will be produced at Avantium’s FDCA Flagship Plant in the Netherlands, the world’s first commercial facility for producing the material.
Avantium’s PEF is a 100% plant-based polymer with a wide range of applications such as bottles and packaging, films, and textiles. Over the last 12 months, Avantium has increased its focus on the development of PEF for fibres and yarns which can be used in apparel items.
PEF-based fibres can replace PET fibre which accounted for around 54% of global fibre production in 2021 and fit current polyester infrastructure for both production and recycling. This means PEF presents a scalable future for renewable alternatives to fossil-fuel derived PET with a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to fossil-fuel based synthetic fibres and the ability to be recycled in existing assets.
“Pangaia has a huge emphasis on identifying innovation opportunities that help us replace conventional fossil fuel based materials with materials that utilise renewable feedstocks,” said the Pangaia Collective. “Feedstocks tackle one part of the puzzle however and only by producing these at scale and building into circular business models do they really create impact, which is what Avantium is on a mission to do.
“By working with Avantium and their PEF material there’s incredible scaling potential to utilise PEF across a range of product categories which has led us to this partnership agreement. We look forward to introducing this innovative material once Avantium’s Flagship Plant is operational.”
That plant is expected to launch into in the second half of 2024.
“We are pleased to partner with Pangaia, a leading innovator in the materials and fashion industry, enabling consumers to wear PEF-based clothing,” said Tom van Aken, ceo of Avantium. “Together we will demonstrate that PEF-based clothing has great potential to play a key role in reducing the fashion industry’s impact on the climate.
“We look forward to our continued collaboration with such an innovative brand and to supporting Pangaia’s strong sustainability journey in the coming years. It will be truly exciting to see consumers wearing Pangaia’s PEF-based sustainable fashion in the future.”
