Natural, health-benefiting fabrics to protect our skin from external agents

ended

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.