ABOUT | BIOTEXFUTURE

Our Motivation

The Textile Industry is not sustainable yet.
Over 120 million tons of textile fibres are being processed yearly worldwide, 73% of those are being man-made, and 91% of man-made fibres are created on a petroleum basis. We are convinced that by engaging in ground-breaking research we can pave the way for innovation in the textile industry. This research is partly at an early stage today, but will be crucially relevant tomorrow. The production of plastics from crude oil causes a wide range of ecological, social and economic problems. Thus, a fundamental industrial turnaround is needed.

BIOTEXFUTURE is an innovation space funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium fuer Bildung und Forschung, BMBF) for a duration of 5 years. Since November 2019, adidas is co-leading the program in collaboration with the RWTH Aachen University.

We are collaborating with industrial and scientific partners who share our vision to convert the textile value chain from petroleum-based to bio-based and strive every day to create the change needed in the industry.

Key figures

120 million tons
of textile fibres
are produced annually

BIOTEXFUTURE is designed to guarantee a holistic approach converting the entire textile value chain. This reflects itself in its four technological research areas and the accompanying socio economic research.

SUBSTRATE/MATERIAL
DEVELOPMENT

TECHNICAL PRODUCT
AND PROCESS
DEVELOPMENT

TEXTILE FINISHING

CIRCULAR ECONOMY

SOCIETAL TRANSITION
TOWARDS BIOECONOMY

BIOTEXFUTURE distinguishes itself from other funding format by its highly centralized program management.

The Project Management Office (PMO) is a dedicated team that proactively steers the innovation space and oversees the projects as a whole.

Dr.
Christine Anstaett
adidas AG
christine.anstaett@adidas.com

Dr.
Marco Schmitt
Institute of Sociology (RWTH Aachen University)
mschmitt@soziologie.rwth-aachen.de

Heike Vogel-Pöschl
adidas AG
heike.vogel-poeschl@adidas.com

Sea-Hyun Lee
Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University
sea-hyun.lee@ita.rwth-aachen.de

Dr.
Sascha Schriever
Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University
sascha.schriever@ita.rwth-aachen.de

PMO Team

Steering Co. Team

The Steering Committee (SteerCo) is in charge of defining and overseeing the strategic direction of BIOTEXFUTURE. Hence, it is accountable to the funding agency with regards to the overall program.

In its strategic role, the SteerCo is heading the implementation of BIOTEXFUTURE and achievement of the objectives of the innovation space defined by the framework specifications of the funding body.