Plant-derived next-generation synthetic fiber "PlaX" adopted for Naigai's "Minna no Kutsushita Aging Care Foot Aid Socks"

Bioworks Corporation (Headquarters: Soraku-gun, Kyoto; CEO: Koji Sakamoto; hereinafter "Bioworks") announces that "PlaX," a plant-derived next-generation synthetic fiber developed through its research, has been adopted for Naigai Co., Ltd.'s (Headquarters: Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Kenji Imaizumi; hereinafter "Naigai") "Minna no Kutsushita Aging Care Foot Aid Socks." This marks the first adoption of PlaX in a Naigai product.

Background of the Initiative

Socks often use petroleum-derived synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon to ensure durability and elasticity. These materials, being derived from fossil resources, pose environmental challenges such as greenhouse gas emissions during manufacturing and disposal.

Furthermore, socks are among the apparel items that wear out quickly and are often replaced in a short period. After use, they are difficult to reuse due to hygiene concerns, and recycling is not easy due to the mixture of multiple materials. Therefore, there is a demand for material development aimed at reducing environmental impact.

Against this backdrop of environmental challenges, Naigai is promoting sustainable manufacturing through socks, an essential part of daily life.

To connect a beautiful earth and finite resources to the future, Naigai has incorporated materials and manufacturing processes that consider environmental impact, pursuing both comfort and sustainability.

As part of this initiative, Naigai will launch "Minna no Kutsushita Aging Care Foot Aid Socks" using "PlaX," a plant-derived next-generation synthetic fiber developed by Bioworks Corporation.

PlaX is a synthetic fiber made from plant-derived raw materials such as sugarcane, and its application is expanding to various textile products as an alternative to petroleum-derived synthetic fibers.

Additionally, due to the effect of lactic acid, it has the property of suppressing the proliferation of bacteria adhering to the fibers, making it highly compatible with products that come into direct contact with the skin, such as socks. Furthermore, Bioworks has demonstrated that products using PlaX can be chemically recycled to obtain high-purity, high-quality recycled material (monomer) even when multiple materials are mixed.

These material characteristics, combining functionality and environmental consideration, matched Naigai's concept of pursuing both comfort and sustainability, leading to this adoption.

Product Overview

Minna no Kutsushita Aging Care Foot Aid Socks

Sales price: 1,650 yen (tax included)

Colors: Pink, Beige, Ocean Green, Navy

Size: 22-24cm

Materials: Cotton, polylactic acid, polyester, rayon, nylon, polyurethane

Sales site: Naigai Official Online Shop

Naigai Co., Ltd. Company Profile

■ Naigai Co., Ltd.

Representative: Kenji Imaizumi, President and Representative Director

Headquarters: 7-8-5 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Established: 1920 (Taisho 9)

Business activities: Planning, manufacturing, sales, and import/export of textile products, including legwear centered on socks for men, women, and children, as well as underwear and nightwear.

What is PlaX?

"PlaX" is a new material that contributes to reducing environmental impact by adding Bioworks' unique plant-derived additives to polylactic acid (PLA), a biomass material derived from plants such as sugarcane, and designing and controlling its molecular structure at a micro-scale to improve quality and functionality.

It is attracting global attention as a versatile material, not only as an alternative to petroleum-derived synthetic fibers like polyester.

《Features of PlaX fiber》

・Compared to polyester, replacing it with PlaX reduces CO2 emissions by 70% for long fiber manufacturing and 50% for short fiber (raw cotton) manufacturing.

・Compared to cotton, water usage from raw material to yarn manufacturing is reduced by 92%.

・A material with "biodegradability" that is decomposed into water and CO2 by microorganisms in an industrial compost environment.

・It is highly compatible with "chemical recycling" to reproduce equivalent materials from waste, and research and development are underway to achieve a closed-loop resource circulation.

・Reduces CO2 emissions during incineration disposal. No harmful substances such as dioxins are generated.

・The lactic acid-derived antibacterial effect prevents the proliferation of Moraxella bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus on the fibers, contributing to deodorizing effects.

Bioworks Corporation Company Profile

Bioworks is a material creation company that manufactures and sells "PlaX," a plant-derived next-generation synthetic fiber made from polylactic acid, with the vision of "a new ecosystem where the joy of creation and the richness of wearing continue."

Since its establishment in 2015, based on the knowledge accumulated through research and development of polylactic acid, it expanded into the fiber business in 2021. As a material playing a role in the fashion industry's shift away from petroleum-derived raw materials, it is attracting attention from domestic and international textile companies and brands, and its adoption has begun.

■ Bioworks Corporation

Representative: Koji Sakamoto, CEO and Representative Director

Headquarters: Keihanna Plaza Lab Building 7F, 1-7 Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto

Established: 2015

Business activities: Manufacturing and sales of modified polylactic acid compounds (PlaX) and products, and businesses promoting resource circulation, etc.

■ Bioworks WEB:  https://www.bioworks.co.jp/

■ bio Official Online Store:  https://bio-plax.com/