At the forthcoming 93rd Textile Institute World Conference (TIWC) from October 7-10 in Porto, Portugal, Andrea Ferris, founder and CEO of Intrinsic Advanced Materials, will outline significant new developments with CiCLO technology.

CiCLO is a proprietary fibre innovation that helps reduce synthetic microfibre pollution and is now being widely recognised for its measurable environmental impact and potential for scalable adoption.

One significant new market is in large-format fabric signage, with K&R Solutions Group, based in Lehi, Utah, achieving the widespread adoption of its US-made Bio Knit SEG fabric made with CiCLO polyester.

In partnership with Charleston, South Carolina-based Departure Media Airport Advertising, the only national out-of-home (OOH) company to work exclusively with airports, Bio Knit with CiCLO technology is now being deployed in over 30 airports and leading corporate and retail spaces nationwide.

Beauty brands

Corporate adoption of Bio Knit is also gaining traction in corprate offices, with Estée Lauder installing more than graphics made with it at its New York headquarters, along with other leading beauty brands such as MAC and La Mer adopting it for displays.

A backlit versionof Bio Knit is currently being developed to expand sustainable options for illuminated signage.

“This is an important industry shift,” says Karen Fiorentino, owner and managing partner of K&R Solutions Group. “Brands and airports can now integrate true sustainability into their signage programmes without sacrificing quality or visual impact. With Bio Knit made with CiCLO technology, we’re turning sustainability from an aspiration into a real, operational standard.”

Embedded fibres

Bio Knit is engineered by embedding CiCLO technology directly into the polyester fibre to create natural sweet spot pathways where microbes can biodegrade the material naturally if it ends up in environments such as soil or seawater. It is printed using Oeko-Tex certified inks, ensuring compliance with international standards for safety and environmental responsibility.

“CiCLO technology is driving the industry to take real steps towards reducing the impacts of synthetic microfibre pollution, ,” says Ferris. “These developments show that progress is possible when material science, design and business goals align. Our solution is affordable, scaled globally and easy to implement, alongside other solutions to this complex problem like designing fabrics to shed less and improving filtration where feasible.”

Other new categories for CiCLO include technical performance apparel, outdoor apparel, hospitality, headwear and durable nonwoven packaging from over 55 brand partners. More than 120 million pounds of CiCLO-containing fibres have ben sold to date.

At the Porto conference, Ferris will discuss the power of fibre-level solutions and how performance, sustainability, and consumer trust can be combined.

“Consumers are increasingly concerned with the environmental impact of their purchases, and that starts with materials,” she observes. “CiCLO technology is working with partners across categories to embed sustainability at the fibre level, where it has the greatest long-term impact.”

TIWC 2025

Over 100 separate papers from a truly international selection of delegates will be presented at TIWC 2025.

Fibre to Future – Transforming Fashion and Textiles through Sustainability is the theme of the event, which will explore how sustainability and digitalisation are reshaping the industry – from fibre production and manufacturing to consumer use and end-of-life solutions.

www.ciclotextiles.com

www.textileinst.org.uk