At Techtextil 2026, taking place from April 21 to 24 at Messe Frankfurt, BASF will present a range of solutions and new projects for the textile sector at booth B68 in hall 11.0. The company says its focus will be on product innovations and technologies aimed at future applications. The scope of the presentation includes both polymers used in clothing, footwear and outdoor equipment, as well as solutions for nonwovens and fiber-reinforced composite materials. At the center of the display will be materials linked to the use of alternative feedstocks, the reduction of carbon footprint and the development of circularity in the textile industry. BASF will also show examples of implementations carried out jointly with brands and technology partners, intended to illustrate practical applications of the presented materials in finished products.
Among the exhibits will be outdoor trousers, sports shoes and climbing ropes made with Ultramid Ccycled. This is a mass-balance product supporting the use of alternative feedstocks derived from the chemical recycling of hard-to-recycle plastic waste, such as scrap tires. The recycled feedstock is fed in at the beginning of BASF’s production network and then allocated to Ultramid Ccycled products in line with the mass balance approach. According to the company, product quality remains unchanged.
Polyamides with a lower carbon footprint and biocircular feedstocks
One example of collaboration presented at the fair will be the Trailcontrol Zero 20+ bike backpack from Vaude. Ultramid ZeroPCF, a polyamide 6 with a carbon footprint of zero according to certified cradle-to-gate calculations, was used for its production. BASF indicates that the project with Vaude is intended to demonstrate the possibilities of using this material in products designed for the outdoor segment.
Another solution on display will be Ultramid BMB. This is a drop-in concept that enables the use of biocircular starting materials in production. As a result, a jumpsuit from Zara was made from this material. REDcert2-certified feedstocks replace fossil resources at the very beginning of the production process and are then allocated to Ultramid BMB products via the mass balance approach. According to BASF, without compromising quality and performance, it is possible to reduce the cradle-to-gate CO2 footprint by more than 50% compared with standard Ultramid.
Binders for nonwovens and composites
BASF also announces the presentation of selected material solutions based on advanced binder technologies for nonwovens and fiber-reinforced composites. Exhibits using Acronal and Styrofan binders are intended to show applications for construction and automotive, including nonwovens made from glass and synthetic fibers. Selected Acronal grades are part of the company’s bio-based portfolio and are intended to help reduce dependence on fossil resources.
acForm, in turn, is a dispersion-based binder technology for furniture and interior design applications. It enables the production of wood fiber mats used as core structures for complex, three-dimensional components with veneered surfaces. According to BASF, this solution provides greater design flexibility than conventional approaches using plywood and veneer.
The company will also present Acrodur, a low-emission acrylic resin used in lightweight composite solutions. The cited applications include glass filter media for treatment of paint booth exhaust air and glass mesh for reinforcement of plaster and insulation systems.
Microporous membranes free from PFAS and solvents
BASF’s booth will also feature the result of its collaboration with dimpora on microporous waterproof breathable membranes. Conventional microporous membranes rely on mechanical stretching to create pores, which limits their elasticity. In the presented solution, Elastollan thermoplastic polyurethane has been combined with dimpora’s technology to enable a new membrane concept capable of stretching.
The result is a microporous membrane that provides elastic recovery under functional strain while maintaining high waterproofness and reliable breathability. The solution remains free from PFAS and solvents. BASF emphasizes that the membrane’s own ability to stretch provides greater design freedom in textiles by improving stress distribution, reducing resistance during movement and supporting the design of more complex garments.
Recycling polyamide 6 textile waste
At Techtextil 2026, BASF will also present loopamid, a solution designed for recycling polyamide 6 textile waste and supporting circularity in the fashion industry. The company states that the first PA6 made exclusively from textile waste was used in a Zara jacket launched in 2024, in an adidas tracksuit created as part of the T-Rex project, and in a T-shirt produced together with Fulgar and Pompea.
