The story of TRILam Biotex
Since the 1990s... the four partners have been well-known in the nautical sector. They have all been involved in offshore racing projects and the America's Cup, and they have always sought to produce French products while reducing the environmental impact of their practices.
Christophe Baley, from the IRDL laboratory, professor and researcher, has been working on natural fibers in composite materials for around thirty years.
Roland Jourdain, from Kairos, after a successful career as an ocean racer, has been promoting bio-sourced natural fibers in shipbuilding for over 10 years.
Pascal Rossigol, from CLM-TRILam, after 25 years of developing technical textiles based on synthetic fibers, began working on natural fibers in 2017.
Mathieu Souben, Fred Moreau, Brice Berthier and Rémi Aubrun, from All Purpose, invested in their sailmaker since 1997, started the movement in 2020, following a request from Adrien Hardy, known for his commitments in particular to the La Vague association . Adrien asked them for "more respectful" sails for his Solitaire du Figaro 2020. All Purpose therefore made a mainsail in TRILam with 30% flax fibers. A sail that worked very well, since Arien finished 4th in the solo race, thus demonstrating that a bio-sourced fiber was not penalizing at the highest level. This mainsail was subsequently loaned, from Figaro sailor to Figaro sailor, for several years around the Lorient base without any problems.
At the same time, IRDL and KAIROS have been collaborating for 10 years on research topics related to bio-sourced composites (they are jointly involved in FLOWER, a European research program for the development of new bio-composite materials). KAIROS is a recognized specialist in carrying out LCAs in the nautical sector.
Furthermore, All Purpose and CLM-TRILam have been working together for over 25 years, as they have the industrial tools for implementation and the specific know-how in the production of textiles and sails.
Following its success in the Figaro, the group was able to gain confidence and decide to take the plunge. Thus, at the end of 2020, the four partners: Voilerie All Purpose, the company CLM-TRILam, the design office Kairos Environnement, and the University of South Brittany, joined forces in an ambitious R&D project.
Via a CORIMER call for projects, this project was selected and then validated by the government at the end of 2021, which then handed it over to ADEME for management the following year, as part of the France 2030 investment program and the European Green Deal.
Here are a few lines of the initial project:
"The TRILAM Bio-Tex project aims to create a flexible, recyclable, and biodegradable technical textile with a level of performance and durability equivalent to current materials. The resulting textile will initially enable the development of a new concept in boat sails with low environmental impact. It could also be applied to other markets such as upholstery, tensile structures, wind propulsion for cargo ships, wind power generators, etc.
The project aims to develop on the basis of the circular economy model (short supply of raw materials, end-of-life management taken into account from the design stage), focused on 3 stages:
1. Technical fabric / Matrix (agricultural sector, laboratory tests of fiber / resin associations, resistance, durability, biodegradability tests, etc.)
2. Boat sail prototypes (assemblies, sea tests)
3. Second life / End of life (deposit, collection, reconditioning, disassembly channel, revaluation)
Currently, sail manufacturers only work with raw materials derived from petrochemicals, and the supply of technical fabrics made from natural fibers is very limited in the maritime sector. To date, there is no viable technical and economic solution for the end-of-life treatment of modern sails, which end up in incineration or landfill.
By addressing this issue, the project aims to create jobs in the sustainable nautical sector (R&D, production, recycling sector) with the French relocation of this new production chain.