Project
The Blue Bioeconomy Project
The Blue Bioeconomy Project (PBA) is a strategic initiative aimed at reindustrializing Portuguese industries by incorporating innovative marine-based biotechnological solutions. With a strong focus on sustainability and the circular economy, this project seeks to reduce dependence on fossil resources and increase added value in industrial value chains, promoting a transition to a greener and more resilient economy.
What is Textiles Vertical?
Within the framework of this ambitious project, Textiles Vertical plays a key role in transforming the national and international textile industry by integrating marine-sourced biomaterials such as recycled fishing nets and algae biomass in the development of new sustainable textiles. This vertical addresses two critical needs of the industry: replacing fossil fuel-based materials with more eco-friendly solutions and reducing environmental impact through circularity and technological innovation.
Textiles Vertical focuses on developing innovative fibers and textile structures made from discarded fishing nets and marine biomass, while also advancing new dyeing and finishing methods using natural pigments and additives derived from algae and other marine organisms. The project aims to directly impact the sustainability of the textile sector, promoting practices that minimize marine pollution and industrial waste.
What is the Blue Bioeconomy?
Blue bioeconomy is an emerging economic model that promotes the sustainable use of marine biological resources to generate high-value products and services. Within the PBA, this concept is applied to the development of new materials, processes, and technologies that use marine resources sustainably, contributing to the decarbonization of traditional and emerging industries. Textiles Vertical, by adopting this paradigm, positions itself at the forefront of industrial innovation, reinforcing Portugal’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the European Green Deal.
Strategic Objectives of Textiles Vertical
The main goals of Textiles Vertical include:
Develop new sustainable textiles using recycled fishing nets and marine biomass fibers.
Promote circularity and zero waste by incorporating marine and industrial waste into the production cycle.
Innovate dyeing and finishing processes, focusing on eco-friendly and biotechnological materials, reducing the use of toxic chemicals and the ecological footprint of textile production.
Foster collaboration between universities, research centers, and industry to ensure that innovations result in market-ready products.
Create synergies between different industries, such as fashion, automotive, and home decor, for the application of textile innovations.
Project Agenda
Textiles Vertical follows a structured agenda to ensure the development and implementation of its innovative solutions. Through a calendar of research, development, and dissemination activities, the project aims to achieve the following milestones:
2024
Research on biomaterials and sustainable fibers:
Development of new textile fibers from recycled fishing nets and marine biomass.
2025
Implementation of new sustainable processes:
Creation of more eco-friendly dyeing and finishing technologies, in collaboration with industrial partners.
2026
Validation and dissemination:
Validation of new processes and materials in industrial settings, with the dissemination of results to strategic stakeholders.
Outputs do Projeto
Textiles Vertical is focused on generating tangible results that can transform the textile industry and reduce its ecological footprint. Some of the main project outputs include:
Recycled fibers
from discarded fishing nets and marine biomass.
Solutions for textile industry effluent
treatment based on microalgae and marine bacteria.
Dyeing and finishing processes
that use natural resources and minimize the use of toxic chemicals.
Prototyping of new fabrics
in collaboration with industrial and academic partners for application in sectors like fashion and footwear.
