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be@t

Bioeconomy at Textiles

“be@t – bioeconomy at textiles” Project aims to contribute to the generation and consolidation of a truly innovative, sustainable and circular national Textile and Clothing Industry, embracing the mission “From nature, in a circular and sustainable way, to people”.

With the bioeconomy motto, be@t brings together 54 entities in search of solutions for the reconversion of the Textile and Clothing sector in themes such as traceability and transparency, eco-design and eco-engineering, impact and new sustainability metrics.

This Project thus intends to create new processes, products, and textile materials, of biological origin (using raw materials from forestry and agro-food sector), renewable, functional and with better environmental credentials, alternative to fossil-based ones. Supported by 4 major pillars: Biomaterial, Circularity, Sustainability and Society, the Project goal is to set a new pace of change, implement circular value chains based on biological resources, and contribute to an environmentally friendly culture and responsible consumption.

Website: Be@t

Main Goals/Activities

be@t project aims to:

Develop new traceable, bio-sourced, renewable textile products and materials (including forest-derived materials, agro-industrial waste and alternative natural fibres) with better environmental credentials, without affecting the performance;
Develop advanced and sustainable production and finishing technologies and processes;
Explore innovative approaches to eco-design and eco-engineering, to ensure the circularity of all textile products generated in this structuring project;
Promote the use/reuse, collection and recycling of textiles, economic business models and strategic partnerships, as well as effective regional policies, to implement circular, sustainable and cost-effective textile value chains;
Contribute to a culture of sustainability and responsible consumption, informing and involving consumers, textile chain agents, brands and other relevant stakeholders.

In this Project, CeNTI participates in all pillars, with special focus in some initiatives and measures related with:

Development of new regenerated cellulose fibres, with installation of an R&D infrastructure for these fibres at CeNTI;

Development of extraction, processing, and spinning processes, production of conventional and unconventional textile structures, and functionalization of new natural fibres, as well as demonstrator products;
Development of new cellulosic matrices for high tenacity textiles application, particularly in terms of bioplastics and cellulose-based and textile-based thermoplastic biocomposites for injection and thermoforming, with installation of a laboratory infrastructure for composites;
Development of new fibres by recovery of textile residues, through new recycling processes and implementation of an industrial pilot line for chemical recycling;
Development of processes for obtaining new materials and functional ingredients, from a perspective of other industries’ waste and/or by-products circularity for textile valorisation, specifically in R&D of physical, chemical and biotechnological processes, and production of demonstrator products;
Development of new metrics for validating and measuring the sustainable credentials of textile products, specifically methods for certification of recycled content in textile articles;
Participation in campaigns and actions to promote national sustainable products.