Genomatica and Aquafil Ready Plant-Based Nylon

The biobased chemical developer Genomatica and its partner, the Italian nylon maker Aquafil, say they have demonstrated multiton production of nylon 6 made from plant-based materials. The firms ferment sugars to make a precursor for the nylon raw material caprolactam at an Aquafil facility in Slovenia. They say their production of precommercial quantities will help determine the design of future commercial plants.

Plant-based nylon-6 is Geno's third major product line on a path to commercialization. The company has executed high impact deals with a range of brands to accelerate the global commercialization of sustainable materials including nylon tire cord fabric, with the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100 million tons in upcoming years. Recent milestones advancing the sustainable materials transition include: a collaboration with lululemon (NASDAQ: LULU) to bring plant-based materials into lululemon's products, a production milestone with partner Covestro (OTCMKTS: COVTY) for plant-based HMD used in sustainable coatings, and a partnership with Asahi Kasei (OTCMKTS: AHKSY) and a newly formed venture with Unilever (NASDAQ: UL) to commercialize and scale plant-based alternatives to feedstocks like palm oil or fossil fuels, to make key ingredients used in everyday cleaning and personal care products.