25. Jan 2018

Aquafil and Genomatica partner in pursuit of sustainable nylon

Aquafil and Genomatica partner in pursuit of sustainable nylon

Polyamide 6 producer Aquafil collaborates with Genomatica on the development of plant-based caprolactan, the key ingredient of nylon.

sAquafil, headquartered in Trento, Italy and San Diego-based Genomatica have announced a multi-year agreement to create sustainable caprolactam, a key ingredient to producing 100 percent bio-nylon. The collaboration aims to develop a commercially viable bioprocess - Genomatica’s GENO CPLTM process- to make caprolactam from plant-based renewable ingredients, rather than the crude oil-derived materials traditionally used by the nylon industry.

Used in a variety of nylon-based products including carpets and apparel, caprolactam has a worldwide market of over five million tons per year. Genomatica’s GENO CPLTM process aims to provide an environmentally-friendly way to make caprolactam with better economics, including for smaller-scale plants. Additionally, it will enable licensees and their customers to differentiate themselves by offering a more sustainable bio-based product whose performance will be fully comparable with nylon made from crude oil-derived caprolactam, and which will not require any machine or process adjustments by the nylon supply chain. Genomatica is the licensor of the GENO CPLTM process.

“We aim to be a leader of sustainability for nylon, and we are excited by the opportunity to be the first to bring the benefits of this new technology to our customers, which is perfectly in line with our commitment to creating sustainable products,” said Giulio Bonazzi, Chairman and CEO of Aquafil. “Genomatica brings the technology, innovation and track record to help us achieve this.”

Aquafil is a leading producer of nylon yarn. The company developed the ECONYL Regeneration System in 2011 to produce nylon made from 100 percent regenerated waste, a product today used by a large and growing number of globally recognized sportswear, fashion, luxury and carpet brands. Like the ECONYL process, the GENO CPLTM process eliminates a significant number of the by-products produced on the basis of crude oil-derived caprolactam. Under the present deal, Aquafil will provide R&D collaboration and development funding, and gain an option for a commercial plant.

Genomatica invites other leaders in the nylon value chain to join its bio-nylon program – and Aquafil encourages further collaboration with supply chain partners. By joining the program, companies ranging from chemical producers and product makers to agriculture companies and major brands can engage, influence priorities and gain access to Genomatica’s technologies and supply of bio-based chemicals.

“Visionary companies like Aquafil are delighting customers and gaining market share through more sustainable products,” said Christophe Schilling, CEO of Genomatica. “This is another example of Genomatica applying the power of biology to rethink how widely-used chemicals can be made a better way.

http://www.aquafil.com.
http://www.genomatica.com

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