INDEX™ Award 2023

Index™ Innovation Award

April, 2023

Learn more about Edana’s shortlist for the INDEX™ Awards here

Bico staple fiber

Biobased PE mix with recycled PET, all with PrimaLoft® Bio(TM inside) A future proof bicomponent fiber core sheath construction, developed from materials with a low carbon footprint, is biodegradable*, and will return to materials found in nature *. o o o

The BioBased PE is produced from sugar cane and has a negative carbon footprint The Recycled PET is GRS certified PrimaLoft® Bio™ ensures PE & PET to return to materials found in nature*

The fibers are available from 1,5 – 3 deniers and is available in short cut for airlaid as well as longer cutting lengths for carded applications such as air through for hygiene applications, e.g. top sheet as well as industrial applications for insulation. It is engineered to bond to both synthetic and natural fibers.

The performance and durability of the fibers are virtually the same as regular virgin based materials: little or no adjustments needed in the process.

The new innovative fiber is a joint development of FENC in Taiwan & Fiberpartner in Denmark.

PrimaLoft® Bio™ is an additive technology that enables polyester and nonwoven fibers to biodegrade* in the environment. A revolutionary breakthrough that offers a previously unattainable level of performance and climate footprint, reducing microplastics in our landfills and oceans, PrimaLoft® Bio™ is a first-of-itskind technology and represents a critical component to a product’s lifecycle – a safety net should the product shed during laundering or end up in a landfill. It is simply designed to return to materials found in nature.

PrimaLoft® Bio™ has been specifically designed to biodegrade* in the environments where the vast majority of plastics eventually find themselves: landfills and ocean water. According to independent testing, PrimaLoft® Bio™ reached 93.8% biodegradation* in 646 days when exposed to an accelerated landfill environment. At the conclusion of this test, the remaining material was found to contain no trace of plastic, leaving behind only natural, carbon based elements! And what is even better, additional independent testing concluded that the soil left behind remains perfectly suitable for plant growth.

PrimaLoft® Bio™ biodegrades* only by hydrolytic-degradation, the destruction of plastics by hydrolysis exposure to moisture under certain conditions, which results in the scission of molecular bonds, and PrimaLoft® Bio™ will eventually leave no traces of microplastic behind.

*Biodegradable: 93.8% biodegradation in 646 days under ASTM D5511 conditions (landfill environment); 87.9% biodegradation in 1953 days under ASTM D6691 conditions (marine/ocean environment). 47.4% biodegradation in 481 days under ASTM D5210 conditions (wastewater environment); 29.9% biodegradation in 196 days under ASTM D5988 conditions (Soil environment). The stated rate and extent of degradation does not mean that the product will continue to degrade.