BOTTLE consortium team with North Face on sustainable PHAs

In Colorado, when worn, washed, and dried, clothing sheds—dispersing tiny fibers throughout homes, soils, and waterways that can take centuries to degrade.

These fibers, often made of polyester and often too small to see, are a major—if invisible—source of microplastic pollution. By some estimates, fibers from polyester clothing account for nearly half of all microplastics in the natural environment, exacerbating a growing environmental and public health hazard.

Preventing clothes from shedding may be impractical, if not impossible. But according to National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers, a better solution is emerging that could address the challenge at its source: replace today’s petroleum-derived polyester with a nontoxic, biodegradable alternative made from PHAs, short for “polyhydroxyalkanoates.”

Already, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bio-Optimized Technologies to keep Thermoplastics out of Landfills and the Environment (BOTTLE) consortium—including a team from NREL and Colorado State University—have developed a portfolio of PHAs with different properties, including some that behave like conventional polyester but are biobased, biodegradable, and easier to recycle.

Now, in conjunction with The North Face, that team is bringing those sustainable materials into the outdoor apparel industry. Over the next 12 months, BOTTLE will scale the process to produce several pounds of PHA fiber, which The North Face will test and evaluate for use in its product lines.