Clean manufacturing technology leader Genomatica has achieved a new milestone for nylon, 80 years after its first commercial production – the company had produced the world’s first tonne of renewably-sourced nylon intermediate, a key ingredient for nylon-6. The intermediate is made from plants rather than crude oil.
Nylon, the first totally synthetic fibre to be made into consumer products including apparel and carpet, is responsible for an estimated 60 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year through traditional production which begins with crude oil.
Genomatica’s innovation, alongside partner and major European nylon producer Aquafil, will produce 100% renewably-sourced nylon that delivers equivalent performance to the conventional nylon, but with lower environmental impact. This bio-based nylon has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a $10 billion global industry that produces over five million tonnes of nylon-6 a year, to make carpet, clothing, car interiors, engineered plastics and food packaging.
“DuPont’s landmark production of nylon, eighty years ago, introduced a highly versatile staple material to the apparel, textile and engineering product industries,” said Christophe Schilling, CEO of Genomatica. “It’s a terrific material, and now, with the power of biotechnology, we can reinvent where it comes from. This is a major step forward in offering a new, more sustainable future with a better nylon for the full range of industries it serves.”
Genomatica’s technology to make a naturally sourced nylon, recently recognized as a special mention in TIME’s Best Inventions, is made possible by fermentation — similar to making beer. The company engineered a microorganism and production process that ferments the sugars found in plants to make the chemical intermediate for nylon-6. This milestone marks Genomatica’s successful scaling of this process to produce one tonne of the intermediate. The chemical is then converted into nylon-6 polymer chips and yarn by Aquafil in Slovenia.
Global partners have played a key role in accelerating Genomatica’s bio-nylon programme. Project EFFECTIVE, a consortium with 12 partners including major brands like H&M, Vaude, Carvico and Balsan, was formed to drive the production of more sustainable bio-based fibres for widely-used consumer products made from renewable feedstocks.
