AeoniQ has developed the world's first climate-positive, biodegradable cellulosic filament yarn engineered to replace polyester and nylon. The AeoniQ platform aims to disrupt the global textile industry by offering a fully circular, plastic-free alternative that mirrors the performance of synthetic fibers - without their environmental toll.

Altri SGPS S.A. is a leading European producer of cellulosic fibers from FSC and PEFC certified forests, operating three modern pulp mills with over 1.1 million tons in annual production capacity. As part of the agreement, the world's first industrial AeoniQ plant will be constructed at Altri's Caima pulp mill. Construction is expected to begin in 2026 with an initial capacity of 1.750 tons per year. On top of the already existing pilot lines in Austria, a pre-industrial plant will be launched in early 2026 in Portugal to accelerate prototyping, brand partnerships, and capsule collections. AeoniQ will benefit from vertical integration of eucalyptus-based pulp to finished yarn, later expanding to incorporate recycled feedstocks such as cotton textiles waste, agricultural waste as well as bacterial cellulose derived from food waste.

Sustainability and Performance with Market-Ready Validation

AeoniQ's cellulosic filament yarns are fully biodegradable in marine, soil, freshwater, and industrial composting environments (certified by TÜV Austria and OEKO-TEX). The product offers natural elasticity, softness, tenacity, and the unique ability to be textured—making it suitable for everything from lingerie and workwear to footwear, home textiles, medical apparel, and automotive interiors.

Two independent Life Cycle Assessments confirm that AeoniQ reduces CO₂ emissions by at least 3.2 kg per kg of yarn compared to polyester. The yarn has already appeared in four capsule collections from Hugo Boss and in Lameirinho's "vegan silk" bedlinen line presented at Heimtextil 2025.

Strategic Alliances

The AeoniQ joint venture is backed by global players across the textile value chain: German fashion brand Hugo Boss and MAS Holdings, South Asias leading technical garment maker, are equity co-investors, while THE LYCRA COMPANY acquired exclusive distribution rights. Additional development partners include amongst others Riopele, Impetus, Lameirinho, Beste, Feinjersey, Taiana, Dolinschek, Aunde Group, Amann and Strahle + Hess.

"This agreement gives concrete form to Altri's strategy of moving up the value chain and investing in next-generation materials," said José Soares de Pina, CEO of Altri. "We are scaling a game-changing innovation that aligns perfectly with our commitment to build a more renewable world."

Carlo Centonze, CEO of HeiQ, added: "Altri's investment transforms AeoniQ from a market-proven innovation into a full-scale global production platform. Together, we are offering a market-ready solution to one of the planet's most polluting industries, textiles. The joint venture brings together Altri's industrial expertise and HeiQ's innovation prowess to deliver a European-made, sustainable, high performance and plastic-free textile."

The completion of the acquisition is subject to the fulfilment of closing conditions, as is standard in transactions of this nature. The companies expect the process to be completed in Q3.

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