Biobased options
Binita Bhuta, vice-president for marketing and sustainability at CovationBio.
After a 17-year career at chemicals group BASF, Binita Bhuta joined DuPont Biomaterials in April 2022, just before its spinoff into a new company named CovationBio. She is its vice-president for marketing and sustainability.
Many observers insist that there can be no going back now on moves towards more sustainable fibres and a more sustainable apparel industry. What are the signs that this dynamic really is here to stay, that the brands will not backtrack on this?
CovationBio is proud to offer sustainable solutions at scale that support this critical shift as brands are increasing their commitments. As consumers become more educated, we are seeing demand for materials that address their environmental concerns and the role they can play to mitigate the impact. The entire value chain needs to be working together to enable this shift. We like to say it’s not us or them, it’s us and them. I think specific legislation and mandates such as those we’ve seen in Europe are not only specific to the textile industry but are providing detailed expectations with timelines. As a result, we are experiencing more transparent dialogue and journey-mapping with brands to develop a timely plan to enable impactful, sustainable solutions. And among the signs that brands will not backtrack, we are seeing a continuation of interest in and use of products such as our Sorona polymer, which is 37% biobased, and our propanediol (BioPDO) products, Susterra and Zemea, which are 100% biobased. Biomaterials are in demand as a pathway to decrease our reliance on fossil fuel-based resources.
To what extent might this have influenced the decision in June 2022 of an important group such as Huafon to invest in products such as Sorona and Susterra?
Huafon is a highly successful materials company that is well positioned to expand the reach of our current products and help us accelerate the introduction of new offerings and technologies to the market. It also recognises that, to make an impact, this needs to be done at scale. We are proud to have Huafon’s support to further enable our mutual mission for CovationBio to continue to deliver high-performance, sustainable biomaterials, such as Sorona and Susterra at scale and accessible to all.
What are the advantages of a programme such as Truterra, the farmer-driven regenerative agricultural programme that CovationBio enrolled in last year?
The programme focuses on the land and on ways of contributing back to the land. Currently, more than 1.2 million acres (almost 500,000 hectares) of sustainably grown row crops are being farmed responsibly in the Midwest of the United States, and, among the crops being harvested are the building blocks for our products. The Truterra programme will deliver insights integrated with the US Department of Agriculture’s conservation practices. This will give us baseline information on the environmental impact of the farms, and we can look for improvements from there. It is a clear commitment from us to drive improvements particularly by reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the farm level, and by improving soil health with efficient nutrient management practices, water efficiency and quality. Through our collaboration with Truterra, we are helping to replace fossil fuel-based materials with a plant-based alternative that is not only a renewable resource, but also one that is being produced in a way that helps capture carbon from the atmosphere. That type of circularity is an excellent example of how we are doing our part to fight climate change.
What are the main challenges in implementing a programme that aims to guarantee that the feedstock for your plant-based polymers is from responsible agriculture?
We know regenerative agriculture farming methods benefit the environment and want to encourage widespread adoption of these practices. Yet, it can take multiple years of investing in these practices for measurable impact. Truterra enables a customised solution for each field and farm, based on their unique circumstances and needs. Through the programme, we are investing in the technological advancements that will measurably benefit these farms, the environment and, ultimately, the textile industry at large.
We note the project with Indian apparel brand Killer to treat fabrics containing Sorona in a hank-dyeing process for the first time. What other innovations are on the horizon?
The Killer example is interesting and fun. They have been able to eliminate some of the steps in the dyeing process and still offer a bright colour palette in their fabrics. We also just announced a spandex-free, yarn-dyed Sorona option that offers two-way and four-way stretch through Oscar Chandler & Company, which serves North and Central America. This is the importance of having great brands innovate with Sorona, demonstrating its versatility. In terms of other innovations, we have announced that we are investigating ways of creating the Sorona polymer from renewable resources, recycled resources or both. We currently use our biobased propanediol monomer, and that contributes 37% biobased content to Sorona. Close collaboration with peer companies, and through the entire value chain, is a key to bringing innovative, impactful and sustainable solutions to market.
Has CovationBio considered presenting recyclable stretch as a possible advantage that Sorona could offer over spandex? Could the use of Sorona instead make garments or fabrics easier to recycle?
The way CovationBio talks about recycling and stretch fibre as it relates to Sorona is that, to-date and at lab scale, we have proven that Sorona is mechanically recyclable. Another way to think about this is to consider durability again. Fabrics made with Sorona may last longer and this can help keep garments in use and out of landfills. I hope to inspire more people to integrate sustainable solutions into their businesses and in their home lives.
Photo: Brazilian fitness brand Live is one of a number of supply chain partners that are choosing fabrics made from Sorona for their versatility, stretchability and durability.
