Avantium, Casa da Malha and Lacatoni Bring PEF Sportswear Prototypes to Milano Unica

A new collaboration between Avantium, Casa da Malha and Lacatoni is putting plant-based textile innovation into a more practical spotlight: performance apparel.

The three companies have developed textile and sportswear prototypes using PEF, or polyethylene furanoate, Avantium’s plant-based recyclable polymer marketed as releaf®. The project combines Avantium’s renewable polymer technology, Casa da Malha’s expertise in knitted fabrics and Lacatoni’s experience in sportswear design.

The first visible result is a prototype sports shirt developed by Casa da Malha for Lacatoni. It is being showcased at Milano Unica in Milan from 7 to 9 July 2026, during the 43rd edition of the textile and accessories trade show at Fiera Milano Rho.

Why PEF matters for textiles

PEF is being positioned as a plant-based, recyclable polyester alternative made from renewable feedstocks. Avantium describes releaf® PEF as a high-quality polymer derived from plant-based FDCA, suitable for applications including bottles, packaging and textiles.

For textiles, the relevance is clear. Apparel brands are under pressure to reduce reliance on fossil-based materials while maintaining the performance expected by consumers, athletes and professional teams. Any alternative material must therefore be assessed not only for sustainability claims, but also for durability, comfort, processability and compatibility with existing textile manufacturing.

That is where this collaboration becomes important. Rather than presenting PEF as a theoretical material, the partners are testing how it behaves in yarns, knitted fabric constructions and finished sportswear prototypes.

From polymer innovation to a sports shirt

The collaboration brings together three different parts of the textile value chain.

Avantium contributes the polymer platform. Casa da Malha brings textile development and circular knitting know-how. Lacatoni adds sportswear design, product requirements and end-use perspective.

According to Avantium, the partners have produced a broader range of textile prototypes incorporating PEF-based yarns and fabrics, with the sports shirt serving as one of the first tangible examples for performance apparel.

This matters because technical sportswear has strict requirements. A material used in a sports shirt must be able to support comfort, movement, repeated use and brand-level quality expectations. The prototype stage allows the companies to evaluate these factors before any broader commercial adoption.  PEF sportswear prototypes

A timely debut at Milano Unica

The showcase comes during Milano Unica, one of Europe’s key events for high-end textiles and accessories. The 43rd edition takes place from 7 to 9 July 2026 at Fiera Milano Rho, with official event information highlighting sustainability, materials, research and innovation as part of the fair’s broader programme.

That setting is significant. Textile innovation often gains traction when brands, manufacturers and buyers can see and touch real samples. By presenting the PEF-based sports shirt and related prototypes at a major industry fair, Avantium, Casa da Malha and Lacatoni are moving the discussion from material science toward market evaluation.

For brands, the key question is not simply whether PEF is bio-based. The stronger question is whether it can fit into real collections, supply chains and product categories without compromising performance.

What each partner brings

Casa da Malha is a Portuguese textile manufacturer focused on premium circular knitted fabrics and innovative textile solutions. Its role in the project is to translate the properties of PEF into knitted fabric constructions that meet apparel standards.

Lacatoni, also based in Portugal, designs and manufactures sportswear, teamwear and technical apparel for clubs, federations and teams. Its involvement gives the project a real performance apparel context, rather than limiting it to material samples.

Avantium’s role is to advance PEF as a renewable and circular polymer material. The company says its YXY® technology converts plant-based sugars into FDCA, the key building block for PEF. Avantium is also starting up what it describes as the world’s first commercial FDCA plant in Delfzijl, the Netherlands.

The bigger circular textiles picture

PEF is not Avantium’s only textile-related activity. The company also promotes Dawn Technology®, a process designed to transform blended post-consumer textile waste into valuable outputs. Avantium says the process converts cotton into glucose derivatives that can serve as second-generation feedstock for FDCA and PEF, while preserving polyester for fiber-to-fiber recycling.

This broader context is important because the textile industry’s material transition will not be solved by one polymer alone. It will require renewable feedstocks, recyclable materials, better end-of-life systems and supply-chain collaboration.

The PEF sportswear prototypes therefore represent one part of a wider shift: moving from fossil-based linear material use toward more circular and renewable textile systems.

What still needs to be proven

The project is promising, but it remains at prototype stage. The next questions will likely include production scalability, cost, dyeing and finishing performance, long-term wear resistance, washing behavior, recycling routes and compatibility with existing apparel supply chains.

For sportswear brands, commercial adoption will depend on whether PEF-based textiles can meet technical specifications at scale. For sustainability teams, the material will also need transparent data, lifecycle analysis and credible end-of-life pathways.

In other words, the prototypes are not a final answer. They are a practical test case.

Why this collaboration is worth watching

The collaboration between Avantium, Casa da Malha and Lacatoni is notable because it connects material innovation with textile manufacturing and real product design. That is exactly the type of value-chain cooperation needed if next-generation materials are to move beyond laboratories and trade-fair concepts.

If PEF can deliver both performance and credible circularity, it could become a relevant option for future apparel applications, especially in categories where polyester currently dominates.

For now, the sports shirt shown at Milano Unica offers a concrete example of how plant-based recyclable polymers may begin entering the sportswear market: not as a slogan, but as a prototype that brands and manufacturers can evaluate.

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