Bio-based PET fibres and yarns available at scale, Indorama says
Head of sustainability at the Indorama’s fibre business, Claire Mattelet, spoke at the recent Dornbirn Global Fibre Congress in Austria to present the group’s plans to develop “a low-carbon supply chain at scale”.
She said the Thailand-based company was working to secure reliable sources of renewable feedstock to produce bio-based purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and monoethylene glycol (MEG) in house. PTA and MEG are key raw materials for the production of synthetic fibres. Another challenge she identified was navigating certification requirements.
Ms Mattelet said Indorama was able to offer customers and brand owners “an integrated, fully certified supply chain at scale”, through a mass-balance approach.
This approach means that renewable feedstocks, such as used cooking oil, are blended with fossil-based raw materials in existing production systems. The renewable content is then allocated to final products.
Indorama has used this to develop scalable, high-performance bio-based PET fibres and yarns in a range it calls Deja Bio. “The technology is proven, the supply chain is built,” the company has said.
