Solvay, the Belgium-based chemical company is launching its first partly bio-based polyamide textile yarn- Bio Amni globally. The polyamide 5.6 is made exclusively in Brazil at the company's textile manufacturing facility.

Bio Amni was created in response to a rising global need for more sustainable textile goods, particularly those made from bio-based materials. The product was developed by Solvay's research and innovation teams after working for 2 years.

Solvay’s global vice president of polyamides and fibers, Antônio Leite, said one of the key drivers of the global textile business is sustainability. Solutions and products must offer value to the whole consumer chain – from the source to the end-users of textiles – while also reducing the environmental effects. Solvay's Bio Amni is part of a portfolio development that aims to provide clients with the most cutting-edge products available.

The textile industry is presently confronted with three major environmental and sustainability challenges: resources, production process, and disposal. At its industrial facility in Brazil, Solvay has already created sustainable alternatives in the manufacturing process, including cleaner energy sources, closed water circuits, and zero effluent emissions, as well as more biodegradable goods to promote more sustainable disposal. Solvay now offers Bio Amni, its first partly bio-based textile yarn, adding to its diverse portfolio of sustainable products.

With the introduction of Bio Amni, sustainable textiles will now make up 30% of Solvay's worldwide polyamide portfolio, a proportion that the company intends to increase to 50% in the next three years.

As a rapid response to Covid-19, the firm released Amni Virus-Bac OFF in 2020, a functional polyamide that prevents viruses, particularly coronaviruses, and bacteria, from being transmitted through the fabric.

In addition, the business developed Amni Soul Eco, the world's first biodegradable polyamide textile yarn, which allows textile products to decompose in roughly three years after being disposed of in regulated landfills.

Solvay, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, had revenues of €9 billion in 2020 after employing over 23,000 people in 64 countries.