German firm offers world’s first biodegradable polyester lining
24/02/2015
The company is marketing what it claims is the first polyester lining to be made from 100% biodegradable fibres, and which can be used as a lining to strengthen clothing or parts of garments.
Prof Dirk Höfer, from Germany’s Hohenstein Institute which has developed a method to test for biodegradability, said: "As part of the sustainability profile of a product, manufacturers should not only know about the manufacturing process but also which components of the product remain in the environment after it has reached the end of its useful life. It's the environmental impact that we are interested in.”
The Institute's test system assesses the degradation of organic substances by microorganisms, water and oxygen in realistic conditions in the soil.
The scientists are also carrying out research into the microorganisms and ambient conditions which promote the fastest decomposition of different textile types: bacteria or fungi which "eat up" the textile in order to take energy from it. Almost all textiles – whether they are made from cotton or crude oil – consist of a carbon framework. "It's a question of how well or badly the microorganisms can break down this framework to cause it to decompose," added Prof Höfer. “At the end of their lifecycle, textiles should rot down as quickly as possible and without leaving any hazardous residues.”
Share this story:
