Neuried, Germany, 20 June 2024: AMSilk GmbH (“AMSilk”), a frontrunner in advanced biomaterials made from spider silk-based proteins, today announces that 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, the 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
• 75% 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.
Contact
AMSilk GmbH
Isabel Rosenberger
Senior Manager Marketing & Communications
Tel. +49 (0) 151 6106 3269
E-Mail: isabel.rosenberger@amsilk.com
Optimum Strategic Communications
Nick Bastin, Vici Rabbetts, Katie Flint, Joshua Evans
Tel: +44 (2)03 922 1906
E-mail: amsilk@optimumcomms.com
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 and have a significantly lower CO2 greenhouse gas emission and less land and water use compared to many other protein fibers.
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
01.07.2022 | AMSilk, a world leader in supplying innovative high-performance bio-based silk materials, today announces plans to scale-up production capacity by several thousand tons a year and expand its production network outside of Europe.
23.09.2021 | Arne Treinies, an experienced Finance Executive, has joined the company's leadership team as Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director as of September 1st, 2021.
11.05.2021 | Financing led by Novo Holdings with participation from Cargill and ER Capital Holdings. AMSilk to accelerate industrial scale-up and expand commercial operations into new markets.