Specialty Fabrics Review April 2023 - 12

[ BRIEFS ] swatches
Sustainable Tyrian
purple for textile dye
is the world's first biotechnology
C
The tExtended project aims to create additional incentives for textile
recycling. Photo: AIMPLAS
tExtended project aims to
reduce textile waste by 80%
F
inding recycling solutions for textile waste is a pressing
challenge across the globe, as it is estimated that less
than 1% of textiles are currently recycled. At the same
time, the European Commission has identified textiles
as a priority product for the circular economy, making it
necessary to expand technologies and infrastructures that
support that model.
The tExtended project started in December 2022 and will
achieve this objective by developing and demonstrating
effective textile recovery, waste valorization and recycling
processes. These processes will be combined with digital tools
and data-driven solutions to support sustainable circularity of
textiles and maximize its impact.
AIMPLAS, a Spanish plastics technology center, will be in
charge of the identification and classification of textiles using
optical separation systems; the preprocessing and recovery of
materials for recycling; the recycling of textile waste through
the solvolysis process, including industrial textile products
and polymer mixtures; and the formulation and production of
polyurethane coatings.
" We are effectively looking to create a master plan for a
sustainable textile ecosystem. The tExtended project will
optimize textile flows and retain the value of materials in a
safe and sustainable way. Through our extensive pilot studies,
we will verify the replicability of the tExtended solutions and
their potential to reduce textile waste by 80%, " says tExtended
project coordinator Dr. Pirjo Heikkilä from the VTT Technical
Research Centre of Finland.
12 SPECIALTY FABRICS REVIEW / April 2023
onagen®
company commercializing a sustainable
Tyrian purple dye by fermentation. Tyrian
purple is a historically coveted and expensive
dye found in rare and limited sources in marine
nature. As with any biologically sourced textile
dye, this colorfast compound reduces pollution
and carbon footprints when used as an alternative
to petrochemically synthesized dyes commonly
used in the textiles industry today.
This rare dye dates
back several millennia
to the Bronze Age
when the Phoenicians
from Tyre, Lebanon,
on the Levantine
coast, produced it for
the ancient Greeks,
Persians, Byzantines,
and the Roman empire
to clad emperors and
kings with luxury
textiles. Tyrian purple
was once worth more
than its weight in gold
for its prized deep,
rich purple.
Current producers
Conagen®
aims to replace petroleum-based
ingredients and reduce carbon footprints with
green technologies. Photos: Conagen
extract and harvest
Tyrian purple from the murex shellfish in much the
same way as the ancient Phoenicians. Thousands of
these predatory sea snails are required to make 1
gram of Tyrian purple dye, making it impracticable,
expensive and environmentally unfriendly.
" Conagen is democratizing the exclusive use
of a color once reserved for royalty-now
obtainable on a global scale, " says Casey
Lippmeier, Ph.D., senior vice president of
innovation. " Our fermentation and bioconversion
technologies enable us to offer true-to-nature
products. We expect Tyrian purple to inspire fresh
ideas in multiple industries, making this rare
and exciting color more marketable with planetconscious
consumers. "
Specialty Fabrics Review April 2023

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