ALT TEX Circular Textile-grade Polymer Synthesis

Generating 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions the fashion industry’s heavy reliance on synthetic,
petroleum-derived, fabrics such as polyester, is projected to create over a quarter of the world’s carbon emissions
by 2050, according to the Ellen MacArthur foundation. Unlike its bio-based counterparts, such as cotton, wool or
silk, polyester does not biodegrade, and its synthetic production is estimated to consume 70 million barrels of oil
each year while it’s disposal creates 55 million annual tons of landfill waste globally.
This project proposes a green polymerization method to generate a circular biosynthetic polymer alternative that
can be manufactured into textiles, similar to the polyester counterpart. The resulting material alternative carries
potential to reduce fashion’s dependence on fossil fuels while the industrial biodegradability opens the door to
circular textile waste diversion.
This research will support ALT TEX in its materials science research on the path to developing commercially
viable, radically circular textiles for the fashion industry.

Faculty Supervisor:

Parisa Mehrkhodavandi

Student:

Partner:

ALT TEX

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: