| What it is | Polyester from plant-derived feedstock |
| Feedstocks | Sugarcane, corn, etc. |
| Reality | Usually only partly bio-based |
| Performance | Like conventional polyester |
Biobased polyester is polyester made partly or wholly from renewable plant-derived feedstocks (such as sugarcane or corn) instead of fossil petroleum. Most current biobased polyester is only partially bio-based, replacing a portion of the petroleum inputs to cut fossil dependence and carbon footprint while performing like conventional polyester in fabrics.
Plant-derived, with caveats
A lower-fossil cousin of recycled polyester; a different renewable route is regenerated cellulosic fibers.
Frequently asked questions
What is biobased polyester?
Biobased polyester is polyester in which some or all of the raw materials come from renewable, plant-based sources — like sugarcane or corn — rather than fossil petroleum. It's chemically similar to regular polyester and performs the same in fabrics, but with a partly renewable origin that reduces fossil-fuel dependence.
Is biobased polyester fully plant-based?
Usually not. Most biobased polyester on the market today is only partially bio-based, meaning a portion of its building blocks come from plants while the rest still come from petroleum. The bio-based percentage varies by product, so 'biobased' doesn't necessarily mean 100% plant-derived.
Is biobased polyester biodegradable?
Not inherently — being made partly from plants doesn't make polyester biodegrade. Biobased polyester is still polyester and persists like conventional polyester unless specifically engineered otherwise. Its benefit is a lower fossil-fuel and carbon footprint at the raw-material stage, not end-of-life biodegradability.
Sources
- Bio-based synthetics — Textile Exchange
- Lower-impact materials — bluesign