Renewable, biodegradable textile materials have secured Techtextil Innovation Awards for two DITF research projects developing nature-based alternatives to synthetic, petroleum-based materials. NUO FlexHolz and FormLig use renewable raw materials to reduce CO₂ emissions and microplastics, while combining design, industrial functionality and flexible shaping for interiors, furniture, apparel and technical textile applications.
- NUO FlexHolz combines wood aesthetics with textile flexibility, giving the decorative composite both surface appeal and bendable material behaviour.
- The technical structure allows NUO FlexHolz to be bent and shaped for design-led uses without losing dimensional stability.
- FormLig converts biodegradable yarn-based inputs into a freely shapeable composite suited to varied three-dimensional geometries.
- The awards were presented at Techtextil in Frankfurt am Main on 21 April.
THE WOOD COMPOSITE: NUO FlexHolz has combined decorative surface design with renewable-material engineering through a composite structure developed by Schorn&Groh GmbH, NUO GmbH and DITF. The material pairs genuine wood aesthetics with textile-like flexibility while avoiding conventional synthetic bonding systems. Its construction has aimed to deliver a biodegradable option for sectors seeking flexible, shapeable and design-led surface materials.
- The composite uses real wood veneer layered with hemp or cellulose fabric and a newly developed lignin-based adhesive system.
- Removing synthetic adhesives has helped reduce associated CO₂ emissions and lowered the risk of microplastics entering the environment.
- Precise laser microsegmentation structures only the veneer layer after lamination, while the textile substrate remains intact underneath.
- The process allows bending and shaping while maintaining permanent dimensional stability during end-use applications.
- Suggested uses include automotive interiors, interior design, furniture manufacturing and the apparel industry.
THE LIGNIN KNIT: FormLig has turned lignin-coated cellulose yarns into a shapeable textile-derived composite through knitting and heat-forming. The project uses the targeted melting of the lignin coating to fuse the knitted structure into an open-cell material. Its development has linked biodegradable inputs, regional value-chain potential and free three-dimensional shaping with applications requiring varied geometries and functional design scope.
- Cellulose yarns are coated with lignin-containing compounds before being knitted into semi-finished products for thermal forming.
- The knitting stage creates a semi-flexible fabric that fuses when the lignin coating melts under targeted heat.
- The resulting open-cell composite can be shaped almost freely in three dimensions, enabling a wide variety of geometries.
- Cellulose and lignin can be sourced from regional value chains, with lignin available as a paper-industry byproduct.
- DITF developed FormLig with Spek DESIGN studio and the companies Buck and TECNARO.
