Amphitex: The world’s first fully circular and carbon-negative waterproof breathable textile

Waterproof breathable garments typically consist of multi-layer construction, comprising a durable water-repellent-coated outer shell textile, a waterproof breathable membrane, and lining material. These fabrics are bonded together to form the multi-layer structure, with pieces of fabric sewn to produce garments. To prevent leaks along seams, they are sealed with tape. This approach delivers high-performance apparel, but is limited by:

* **Use of environmentally damaging chemicals.** High-performance membranes are typically manufactured from expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE; Gore-Tex), which is waterproof, windproof, and chemically inert. However, 75% of waterproof fabrics contain toxic PFCs (per-/poly-fluorinated chemicals); "forever" chemicals that persist and bioaccumulate, causing serious health problems including cancer and birth defects(Guardian\_2022,OECD\_2013).

Brands are under increasing consumer and government pressure to remove PFCs. Recent UK REACH policy is restricting PFCs(HM\_GOV\_2021), five EU countries are looking to ban PFCs by mid-2022(Chemistry\_World\_2021), and Adidas has committed to being PFC-free(ECHA\_2019).

* **No sustainable end-of-life solutions.** Multi-material textiles cannot be separated and face either landfill or incineration at end-of-life, c£400 billion/year in value is lost globally from clothing underutilisation and lack of recycling(Ellen\_MacArthur\_Foundation\_2017). In landfill, plastics break down over time to produce microplastics, which are harmful and persist in the environment(OECD\_2013).

During incineration, PTFE membranes used in Waterproof Breathable Textiles(WBTs) produce highly toxic hydrofluoric acid, which is converted to fluorspar in typical municipal incinerators(Aleksandrov\_et\_al\_2019).

Amphibio is a London-based micro-SME founded in November 2018 by Jun Kamei, a designer and material scientist developing commercial applications for superhydrophobic porous membranes. With InnovateUK support, we will develop an innovative WBT that delivers on the triple bottom line:

* **People**. Our WBT will match the performance of market leading textiles, enabling reliable waterproofing and breathability for end-users. Our WBT will enable end-users to meet their own sustainability goals, through garments that are produced from recycled feedstocks and, crucially, can be recycled at end-of-life (whereas other WBTs cannot).

* **Planet**. Our mono-material WBT will be 100% recyclable and PFC-free, as well as utilising recycled and plant-based feedstocks rather than oil-derived virgin polymers, making it the world's first circular and carbon-negative WBT. Our fully-circular textile means fabric wasted during production (c20%,EPRS\_2019) and garments at end-of-life can be used for new textile rather than heading to landfill.

Given our novel membrane and lamination process, our WBT will shed 20% fewer microplastics than competitor WBTs.

* **Profit**. Working with leading clothing brands, our innovative material will help organisations deliver on their sustainability targets, supporting the clothing industry to reduce its environmental footprint.