Definition
Bio-based refers to materials, chemicals, or products derived wholly or partly from renewable biological raw materials such as plants, algae, or microbial sources, rather than from fossil raw materials such as petroleum or natural gas. The term refers exclusively to the origin of the raw materials and makes no statement about the biodegradability of the final product. Bio-based materials can be either biodegradable or permanently durable, depending on their chemical structure and processing method.
Use in the textile industry
In the textile industry, bio-based raw materials are used to produce man-made fibers — for example, bio-based polyamide derived from plant-based amino acids, or bio-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in which the ethanol component is obtained from sugarcane. Coatings, finishes, and auxiliaries can also contain bio-based constituents, such as starch or cellulose derivatives used as sizing or stiffening agents. Bio-based textile materials are frequently used to reduce the share of fossil raw materials in the supply chain, although the actual bio-based content varies considerably from product to product.
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