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Sustainable style starts with science

At BASF, we are enabling new, innovative solutions to address the challenges of the modern fashion industry. From promoting traceability in cotton farming to recycling old textiles and reducing waste, discover how our teams are paving the way for a more sustainable future in fashion. 

Every year, 92 million tons of textile waste end up in landfills, incineration plants, or worse, in the environment. This growing issue is also a waste of valuable raw materials. BASF is tackling this by transforming end-of-life textiles into new materials, promoting true circularity in the textile industry. Polyamides, also commonly known as nylon, are synthetic polymers widely used in fashion and sportswear. Now BASF has developed loopamid®, a new high-quality polyamide 6 produced entirely by recycling discarded textile waste. The technology behind loopamid® enables end-of-life textiles to be turned into valuable raw materials for new clothing.This reduces the demand for virgin raw materials and helps to lower the carbon footprint of the energy-intensive textile industry. With new technologies like this, BASF is closing the loop on textile waste and helping our customers to reshape the future of sustainable fashion.
Would you like to be able to trace your new shirt all the way to the cotton farm and make sure it’s produced in a more sustainable way? Reducing CO2 emissions across the complex cotton value chain is challenging, but the fashion industry is evolving with cutting-edge technology. And we’re doing our part in revolutionizing the supply chain for high-quality cotton by supporting sustainable farming and ensuring traceability from seed to sew. 
BASF cotton experts and farmers worked together to create two progressive programs: Certified Sustainable FiberMax® in Greece and e3 Sustainable Cotton in the US, which offer growers, ginners, manufacturers, brands, and fashion producers access to a digital platform that traces every cotton bale from field to fashion. These initiatives, supported by innovative technologies, prioritize quality, sustainability, and transparency. 
Plastic waste is a huge global challenge - approximately 250 million metric tons are produced annually, but only about 20% is recycled. BASF is helping to address this issue through a range of recycling innovations, including in the textile industry. In our ChemCycling® process, fossil raw materials are replaced in the production chain by feeding in pyrolysis oil from chemically recycled plastic waste or end-of-life tires. This process saves fossil resources, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and ensures that recycled raw materials maintain the same quality in comparison to conventional fossil-based products. 

The recycled pyrolysis oil is attributed to BASF’s certified Ccycled® products through a mass balance approach, which enables BASF to offer new products to the fashion industry. For example, Ultramid® Ccycled products are used to create high-quality textiles for outdoor and sports apparel, bike bags, and underwear with a lower CO2 footprint compared to conventional fossil-based products. The same is true for PolyTHF® Ccycled, a key raw material used to produce spandex fibers for sportswear, underwear and many other garments. 

Movement is essential — to play, to work, to push boundaries. Infinergy®, BASF’s expanded thermoplastic polyurethane, helps people move with greater comfort and efficiency. Whether in running shoes, safety footwear, or sports equipment, its high-energy return and durability reduce fatigue while enhancing performance. 

But innovation isn’t just about better materials. It’s about smarter, more sustainable solutions. BASF is finding new ways to substitute fossil feedstock by incorporating alternative raw materials like biogas and pyrolysis oil from chemically-recycled plastic waste into the production value chain. By making use of these circular feedstocks, fossil resources are kept in the ground and waste is turned into value. 

 From the track to the workplace, Infinergy® keeps people moving — while also helping the world move toward a more sustainable future.  

Discover how BASF is powering the transition to a more sustainable future