Independent Cradle-to-Gate life cycle assessment shows AMSilk's fibers have a significantly lower environmental footprint compared to silk

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Jun 20, 2024, 03:30 ET

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).

SOURCE AMSilk