In addition, Archroma, a company at the forefront of crafting specialty chemicals for eco-friendly applications, has also entered the BioCircular Materials Alliance. Their expertise is expected to catalyse the fashion sector’s shift towards sustainable circular business practices.
The BioCircular Materials Alliance, a consortium initiated by biotech venture company Spiber and includes initial members such as Kering and Goldwin, was established in 2024.
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The collaboration aims to repurpose bio-based waste from textiles, agriculture, and forestry into valuable commodities like protein materials using Metabolic Recycling among other avant-garde techniques.
As of 21 January 2025, the Alliance has 22 members.
Spiber sustainability executive vice president and Alliance Steward Team director Kenji Higashi said: “Seeing such a diverse group of organisations align and collaborate toward a shared goal is truly inspiring. What began as a vision has grown into a dynamic, collaborative effort with strong momentum for real, societal-level change to create a circular future.”
The Alliance also unveiled its inaugural Progress Report, reporting significant achievements throughout 2024.
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By GlobalDataA key accomplishment was the formulation of an Action Plan designed to propel the industry towards a circular bioeconomy that sees bio-based waste metamorphosed into novel regenerative materials. This plan was born out of collective wisdom, actionable intelligence, and cross-industry cooperation.
The report also sheds light on the nascent Materials BioCircularity Database and advancements in crafting the Alliance’s Product Design Guidelines. These instruments are poised to become exhaustive repositories detailing how material and chemical amalgamations influence product compatibility with biocircular recycling systems.
The Materials BioCircularity Database tool will aid stakeholders in selecting fibres, dyes, and chemicals that enhance biocircularity. While still in developmental phases, preliminary data compilations suggest it will soon become an essential guide for sustainable product design.
The Product Design Guidelines aim to elucidate how material-chemical interplay affects biocircular recycling system compatibility. Insights from the burgeoning database will shape these guidelines, with an initial draft anticipated by 2026.
“The accomplishments highlighted in the Alliance’s first Progress Report demonstrate significant progress in creating a regenerative bioeconomy, showcasing the power of collaboration and innovation in achieving societal-level change. We look forward to working with this groundbreaking initiative,” stated Stella McCartney.
Innovation Manager at Fashion for Good innovation manager Maria Arroyo I Bacete said: “Fashion for Good is pleased to be collaborating with Spiber and the other BioCircular Materials Alliance Members such as Kering; a founding Alliance Member and a Fashion for Good partner. We look forward to contributing our expertise on topics such as the Materials Circularity Database that could help steer the industry towards making better design choices to enable bio-circularity.”
Coinciding with the Progress Report’s release is the launch of the Alliance’s official website (https://biocircularmaterials.org), envisioned as a central repository for updates on activities and access to resources like the Progress Report, Materials BioCircularity Database, and Product Design Guidelines. It will also offer insights into membership prospects.
