NEURIED, Germany, June 20,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AMSilk GmbH ("AMSilk"), a
frontrunner in advanced biomaterials made from spider silk-based
proteins, today announces that it has completed an independent
'Cradle-to-Gate' Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) comparing the
environmental footprint of AMSilk Ultrafine Fiber with mulberry
silk across five environmental indicators: climate change, land and
water use, acidification and freshwater eutrophication. These
indicators are the most relevant to the textile industry and
represent the top five of all 16 Product Environmental Footprint
("PEF") indicators evaluated after having normalized and weighted
all results. The study was executed by Quantis, a BCG company and
leading environmental sustainability consultancy.
The ISO-compliant and objectively reviewed study found that the
relative impact of 1 kg of AMSilk Ultrafine vs. Mulberry silk was
significant, with AMSilk Ultrafine having:
- 81% lower climate change impact
- 90% lower acidification
- 73% lower eutrophication of freshwater
- 92% lower land use
- 97% lower water use
Based on this "cradle-to-gate" study, AMSilk Ultrafine Fiber has
a more favorable environmental footprint compared to Mulberry silk
in the five environmental indicators examined. Key factors
contributing to this include AMSilk's potential to reduce water and
land use impacts by avoiding the negative impacts from
deforestation and land use change associated with mulberry tree
cultivation.
Overall, the reduction in environmental impacts associated with
AMSilk fibers can be attributed to its biofabricated nature, which
circumvents the resource-intensive processes of silkworm rearing
and cocoon harvesting inherent to silk production.
In a separate analysis by the Fresenius Institute, AMSilk's
textiles were shown to be readily biodegradable according to OECD
301B, with >60% degradation in
just eight days, well ahead of the benchmark of 10 days, and 84%
degradation within 28 days. Nonetheless, the material is fully
durable in daily use by a consumer.
Ulrich Scherbel, Chief
Executive Officer, AMSilk commented: "These strong figures
reinforce the environmental performance characteristics of our
material in addition to their various high-performance properties.
Our biofabricated fibers and yarns remove the limitations of
existing materials and offer brands unimagined
opportunities to reinvent themselves while reducing their
carbon footprint."
Click here for more details: Cradle-to-Gate- report overview
To showcase its innovative biofabricated yarns, AMSilk will be
attending Pitti Immagine Filati, in Florence, Italy, from the 25th to 27th June 2024, and Première Vision in
Paris from the 2nd to 4th July 2024. If you would like to meet with a
member of the team, please get in contact, or come and visit the
stand.
About AMSilk
AMSilk is a frontrunner in advanced biomaterials made from
spider silk-based proteins. Using a patented technology platform,
protected by a best-in-class patent portfolio, we are pushing
boundaries in the field of bio-based materials. At AMSilk, we turn
man-made proteins into formulations, including fibers and yarns,
hydrogels and silk powder. The high-performance qualities of our
material enable a wide range of applications in the textile,
homecare, biomedical, and automobile industries and bring
breakthrough benefits for products and customers. AMSilk's
materials go beyond earlier bio replacements; they can be tailored
to specific market or product requirements, are biodegradable
according to international standards. The Company has already
collaborated with industry-leading global companies and plans to
continue partnering with enterprises worldwide to pursue the vision
of enabling true change through intelligent biotech materials.
For more information, please visit www.amsilk.com
Methodological details of the LCA
A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an internationally recognized
approach following ISO standards that evaluates the potential
environmental impacts of products and services throughout their
life cycle, typically beginning with raw material extraction and
including all aspects of transportation, manufacturing, use, and
end-of-life treatment. This study is cradle-to-gate as its purpose
is to inform B2B applications for which there are too numerous and
divergent end-product uses.
An ISO-compliant LCA study typically evaluates 16 environmental
indicators (including climate change impact and water use) to
ensure a holistic and balanced environmental impact overview. Such
an approach can also help to avoid burden shifting, for example,
between climate and land-use. This is important as climate change
is one of the most pressing issues (United Nations Trust Fund for
Human Security, 2017), and also one of the most robust indicators
with the strongest level of research (Fazio, 2018).
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SOURCE AMSilk