International Zero Waste Day, celebrated annually on March 30, was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2022 to promote sustainable practices and reduce global pollution. In 2025, the theme is "Towards Zero Waste in Fashion and Textiles" highlighting the urgent need to reduce the environmental impact caused by the fashion and textile industries, responsible for 2–8% of global greenhouse gas emissions each year.
UCIBIO's commitment to the implementation of zero-waste solutions in the textile sector is illustrated by the research work being developed at the Material Farming Lab and the Biochemical Engineering Lab (BIOENG).
Filipe Natalio, leader of the Material Farming Laboratory at UCIBIO-NOVA FCT, was recently awarded an European Research Council Proof of Concept that aims to reduce the environmental footprint of textiles by using natural stains from marine organisms for dyeing cotton fabrics. The goal is to explore the use of non-toxic molecules in this process, which would also allow the reutilization of water for agriculture purposes.
Read more about Filipe Natálio’s research in the recent news article on the DN Journal: “Os pigmentos sustentáveis de Filipe Natálio querem despoluir a indústria têxtil”
Biochemical Engineering Lab (BIOENG)
The BIOENG Lab has been researching how microorganisms can convert waste into microbial-derived products with commercial value. For instance, they are currently developing innovative bio-based solutions to replace fossil-based polymers used in textiles (Project Beat). Other example is the current research on cost-effective production of dyes from bacteria as an alternative to hazardous dyes, with environmental burden.
Filomena Freitas, researcher at Biochemical Engineering Lab at UCIBIO-NOVA, explains the projects that are being developed:
“Have you ever imagined a magic tool that could transform waste into valuable products? That’s exactly what we do at the Biochemical Engineering Group (BIOENG), and our special tool are microorganisms! Under controlled conditions, these microscopic helpers will convert wastes – such as byproducts from the food and agro-industrial industries or even non-recyclable plastic – into microbial-derived products with commercial value.
An example of such bioproducts are pigments synthesized by some bacteria that can find use in areas spanning from biomedicine (due to their bioactivity) to technical uses like textile dyeing, where they replace the currently used hazardous dyes that pose a serious environmental burden. Within this research topic, BIOENG collaborates with international partners, like the University of Belgrade (in Serbia) and Pacific Biotech (in French Polynesia), for developing cost-effective production processes for pigments covering a wide range of coloration, and testing them for biomedicine and textiles applications.
Project Beat represents another example of BIOENG’s research line on waste valorization into value-added products/applications, wherein innovative generation of textile water-based bio-coatings and textile laminated materials are being developed by CITEVE using bioplastics as an eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to the fossil-based polymers currently used in the textile industry. Those bioplastics are 100% biodegradable materials, produced from renewable lignocellulose waste through a sustainable biological process developed by BIOENG in collaboration with LNEG and RAIZ.”
Bioplastic in powder and film form; fabric laminated with the bioplastic:
