Material Innovation

A bunch of 10 innovators, with the shared mission of decarbonising the textile and fashion industry, has won the Global Change Award for 2025 for their bold and pioneering ideas, who, as changemakers, are tackling some of fashion’s most urgent challenges: from reducing emissions and energy use, to enabling circularity and cleaner materials.

Taiwan-headquartered Creative Tech Textile Co Ltd has pioneered the transformation of discarded oyster shells into advanced sustainable textile solutions leading to its signature brands—Seawool and Smawarm. Founder Yeh-Shun Wang (Eddie Wang) shares how through decadal inspirations and learnings his company is doing its bit to shape a greener and more sustainable future for the textiles industry.

Research, experimentation, and countless iterations. Persistence, collaboration, and innovation, and then 2020 where it all began. The priority at the next-gen material science company, Balena, that develops high-performance biopolymer materials, is to continue disrupting the materials industry by innovating and developing cutting-edge circular materials to replace hazardous, non-compostable plastics currently used in various industries. Chief Executive Officer David Roubach talks products and the journey this far.

Scientists at the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) have developed a robust yet flexible glove coating using an environmental friendly biopolymer— lignin— in a 3D printing process.

An uncertain economic climate dampening the investment and retail landscape notwithstanding, there are strong drivers in place making a transition to NextGen innovations all but certain, says a new report.

One of the product launches that the fashion world was eagerly looking forward to this year was that of Mexico-based innovator Polybion’s NextGen material, Celium. CFO Alexis Gómez-Ortigoza and CEO Axel Gómez-Ortigoza tell texfash what it took for them to get Celium to a global launch and how they see the market developing in the years ahead.

Ever wondered what happens to your hair once you go for your six-monthly chop-chop at the salon? If Human Material Loop, a Dutch start-up, has its way, all of this could well be mopped up to give you an all-new ethical, traceable and high-performing textile fibre, prototypes of which have been developed and the immediate plan is to go commercial. Founder-CEO Zsofia Kollar in conversation with texfash.

Creating an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-based plastics is only one part of the long road to viability and it is with this goal that researchers have developed algae-based “completely biodegradable” polymers.

The fourth edition of the industry report on NextGen materials by Material Innovation Initiative finds that close to $500 million was invested in the sector in the past year.

There’s yet another alternative to genuine leather as pre-consumer recycled leather is fused with Lenzing’s Tencel lyocell fibres to create an all new nextgen material in a resource-saving, closed-loop production process.