Green tie-ups: Avantium partners consortium for biobased PEF yarns for mattresses; Neste/Mitsubishi Corporation partner to develop supply chains for renewable chemicals/plastics in Japan

Netherlands-based renewable and circular polymer materials firmAvantium has announced a collaboration with textile innovators Royal Auping, Monosuisse and Antex. This partnership aims to  develop PEF-based yarns, to be used in mattresses for Auping. Avantium is in the process of setting up capacity to produce PEF-precursor furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) at its facility in Delfzijl, the Netherlands.

Avantium will spearhead the development, production, supply and recycling of PEF. The textile innovators Monosuisse and Antex will focus on creating PEF-based yarns. Monosuisse will specialise in monofilament PEF yarns, while Antex will supply multifilament PEF yarns. Their expertise ensures high-quality, versatile materials for various textile applications. Auping, meanwhile, will test the design and manufacturing of mattresses utilising the PEF-based fabric.

Auping, a certified B Corporation is the largest developer and producer of personal sleep solutions in the Netherlands. Auping follows a circular business model, minimising waste, pollution, and material incineration. Its goal is to achieve a fully circular product range by 2030.

Bineke Posthumus, Director Business Development of Avantium, says: “We are proud to collaborate with Auping, Antex, Monosuisse to help build a more sustainable world. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to reducing the environmental impact of textile production. By leveraging Avantium’s breakthrough technology and the collective expertise of our partners, we are poised to transform the textile landscape.”

In other news, materials firm Neste and Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) are in a partnership focusing on developing value chains for renewable chemicals and plastics for and with Japanese brands. The partners are targeting brands in industries such as food and beverage, apparel, and consumer electronics. Through the partnership, Neste and MC aim to accelerate their efforts to build defossilised supply chains for brand owners in Japan.

In the course of the cooperation, Neste will provide its expertise in sustainability and more sustainable materials, also in the form of renewable Neste RE, a biobased raw material for plastics production. MC will provide its strong experience in business development and supply chain management of petrochemical products and derivatives in the region. Together, the partners will offer comprehensive solutions for Japanese brands looking to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and reliance on fossil resources in their supply chains.

Neste and MC have already cooperated on several individual projects in the past, including a collaboration with other partners to enable the production of renewable PET bottles for Suntory Holdings Limited as well as a multi-party collaboration to produce apparel from bio-based materials for Goldwin Inc.

“Through this partnership, we will be able to provide sustainability-minded companies in Japan with a full package to reduce their plastics-related GHG emissions,” says Carrie Song, Senior Vice President, Commercial at Neste Renewable Products. “Together, we can provide the materials and the know-how. Together, we can also get the materials into the value chains, making it easier for companies to make the switch to more sustainable solutions.”

“Our strength lies in our capability to establish supply chains and access a wide variety of brand owners in Japan,” says Yoshiyuki Watanabe, Division COO, Business Development Div. at Mitsubishi Corporation. “We have cultivated this strength over many years through traditional trading and strategic investments in collaboration with trusted partners. Recognising that these achievements cannot be made alone, we are eager to strengthen our relationship with Neste. We are thrilled to expand our network to include partners who share similar values, thereby generating economic, societal and environmental benefits to meet the needs of society.”

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