Glaukos

Developing biobased textile fibers and coatings adapted to the needs of the 21st century

Glaukos will develop biobased textile fibres and textile coatings that are adapted to the needs of the 21st century. The complete life cycle of clothing and fishing gear will be redesigned, their sustainability performance will be enhanced significantly, while their technical performance will be matched to end-user requirements. The ambition is to significantly reduce the carbon and plastic footprint of clothing and fishing gear.

Objectives

• Mitigate microplastic pollution by increasing the biodegradation rate of materials compared to conventional (micro) plastics.
• Reconcile the biodegradation characteristics with technical performance and durability to ensure the effective and long-term use of textile products such as fishing gear and clothing.
• Boost the bio-recycling potential of the Glaukos biobased textile products by developing compatible recycling biocatalysts.
• Develop eco-friendly fishing gear coatings with increased biobased content and increase the biobased content of textile products.
• Engage stakeholders across the textile industry by
  1. Setting up Stakeholder Labs for the clothing and fishing gear industry. Facilitate the interaction between partners and relevant stakeholders in relation to end-user requirements and policy.
  2. Communicating with the broader public, as well as specific thematic communities.
  3. Enhancing the framework for sustainable innovation in the textile industry.

Expected outcomes

Glaukos will develop eco-designed fishing gear and clothing, and scale up their production process, all the way from renewable feedstock to textile prototype and ending with two end-of-life solutions: biodegradation and bio-recycling.

Timeline: 2020-2024 (48 months)

Coordinator: BBEU (Bio Base European Pilot Plant)

Topic: BBI 2019 SO3 R9, Develop bio-based fibers and/or functional molecules to improve the performance of textile products