Meet the partners: Chalmers University of Technology

The fashion and textile industries face significant barriers when it comes to recycling printed fabrics. Conventional textile inks, often fossil-based and non-removable, are not only difficult to process at end-of-life but are also a contributor to microplastic pollution. In BioSusTex, the team from Chalmers University of Technology is tackling this issue at its source by redesigning textile ink formulations to be biobased, removable, and environmentally compatible.

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At the core of this work is Dr. Romain Bordes, Associate Professor at the Division of Applied Chemistry, who leads a research group focusing on surfactant chemistry, nanocellulose, colloidal systems, and soft materials. With a track record in both fundamental research and application-oriented innovation, Romain and his team bridge materials science with real-world textile challenges. Their previous work with industry partner Vividye laid the foundation for reversible textile colouring—work now taken further within BioSusTex.

The Chalmers team is currently working on replacing non-biobased ingredients in water-based textile inks with biobased alternatives, while ensuring that performance and print quality are not compromised. This is a non-trivial task—changing a single component in a formulation can alter the behaviour of the entire system. Still, the objective is clear: develop screen printing inks that are not only biobased but also removable on demand, enabling easier recycling and upcycling of printed textiles.

Team members Vera Andersson, a recent master’s graduate with joint experience at Chalmers and Vividye, and Dr. Yiming Jia, a surface chemist experienced in soft matter systems and art conservation, contribute to the formulation work. Their combined expertise supports the integration of new functionalities such as triggered removability, an innovative feature that would allow for the selective removal of prints during textile recycling processes.

The project’s ambitions go beyond biobased content. Textile prints are currently a significant barrier to circularity in fashion, often being sources of microplastics and contaminants in recycling streams. By developing fully biodegradable and removable print formulations, the team at Chalmers is enabling a future where printed garments can be cleanly upcycled, free of ink residues.

This work directly supports the project’s broader goals and contributes to the sustainability priorities at Chalmers, which include leading research on bio-based materials, circular economy systems, and the integration of technical innovation into practical applications. The BioSusTex project strengthens Chalmers’ existing collaborations with Vividye and RISE, building on past work in reversible textile colouring and expanding it toward a full greenification of screen-printing technologies.

What excites the Chalmers team most about BioSusTex is the opportunity to work across the entire textile value chain. The consortium combines fibre producers, recyclers, chemical formulators, and academic experts, providing a comprehensive view of the system-wide challenges and opportunities. This close collaboration across disciplines and sectors is key to designing technologies that not only work in the lab, but also integrate seamlessly into industrial processes and circular systems. For Chalmers, it means advancing not only material science but also systems-level thinking in sustainable innovation. As the project progresses, the contributions from the Chalmers team will play a crucial role in making printed textiles recyclable, safe, and ready for a circular future—turning a critical bottleneck into a new opportunity for design and sustainability.