Polybutylene succinate - An emerging textile polyester?

In view of gradually dwindling oil deposits and the growing environmental consciousness of manufacturers and consumers, polymer materials consisting of renewable resources are considered as auspicious materials for next-generation textiles. However, the costs of biopolymers currently amount to more than twice of those of commodity polymers like polyamides and poly-olefins. In addition, textiles being composed of polyamides and conventional polyesters like polyethylene terephthaiate (PET), with a worldwide pro-duction volume of 15 million tons and 55 million tons (2015), respectively, are dominating today's textile industry [1]. In the European market, 100,000 tons of biodegradable polymers were used for commercial purposes in 2015, whereby packaging applications are dominant [2].