Project description
Natural organic fabrics shield against sun and pollutants
Recreational exposure to the sun is one of the main factors contributing to skin cancer, which is on the rise. Air pollution is also increasing. It is associated with skin conditions ranging from eczema and psoriasis to acne and even skin cancers. Specialised protective fabrics have emerged in recent years, but most are either synthetic or loaded with chemicals and additives. The PYRATEX project is paving the way to eco-friendly options. Scientists are developing a commercialisation plan for their pioneering and patented organic and natural fabrics. Produced sustainably and with traditional processes, they promise to you keep you and your dermatologist happy.
Objective
Today, society is increasingly exposed to environmental pollution: UV radiation generate 90,000 new cases of skin cancer annually in Europe and 7m people die prematurely from exposure to air pollution. Current solutions to protect the body from environmental factors require the daily use of expensive cosmetic skin creams, which are time-consuming to apply for today´s busy society. Our clothing is also a potentially powerful tool to protect our bodies from external agents. However, current fibres from which textile fabrics are made are either synthetic or natural but treated with chemicals/ additives that are harmful for environment and our body. There is a necessity to find a natural and additive- free fabric that provides the body the protection needed against environmental agents. In response, our company Pyrates Smart Fabrics (Pyrates) has developed, PYRATEX® COSMETIC and PYRATEX® HEALTH (PYRATEX) are unrivalled additive and chemicals -free fabrics made of natural fibres. They are manufactured via a sustainable and traditional process enabling the final textiles to take care of the skin and body by providing protection against UV radiation (PYRATEX® HEALTH) and air pollutants (PYRATEX® COSMETIC). PYRATEX organic and natural fabrics avoid the use of 19,500 tons of dyes per year and unlock total customer value of €15m by year 5 after launch. Having validated the reliability of the PYRATEX® COSMETIC and PYRATEX® HEALTH fabrics at the pilot scale, we now want to finalise its development and achieve market preparedness. In Phase 1 we aim to carry a Feasibility Study to warrant the project from a technical, commercial and financial point of view. Besides the crucial benefits that it will bring to natural textile sector, PYRATEX will boost the growth of Pyrates, expecting to gain € 16.6 million profits and 28 new people after 5 years in the market, reaching a ROI of € 10.12 per euro invested.
Fields of science
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinator
28036 MADRID
Spain
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.