TCF POST Desk
BEDFORD, Mass. — The Lycra Company, Gentex Corporation, Ecotune, and MacroCycle Technologies have been selected as awardees in the third round of the Product Accelerator for Functional Fabrics (PAFF 3.0) program, managed by AFFOA (Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, Inc.).
The PAFF 3.0 program addresses critical technical and manufacturing challenges by providing no-cost access to AFFOA’s engineering experts, prototyping and testing facilities, manufacturing scale-up capabilities, and domestic supply chain network. These resources aim to improve manufacturability and accelerate time to market.
“What stood out about The Lycra Company, Gentex Corporation, Ecotune, and MacroCycle was their shared commitment to solving real manufacturing challenges—faster development cycles, improving production efficiency and quality, and scaling more sustainable, high-performance materials,” said AFFOA CEO Sasha Stolyarov, Ph.D. “Bridging that gap between innovation and real-world manufacturing is at the heart of what AFFOA does, and we are excited to bring our technical expertise to bear on each of these projects.”
The four awardees will receive this support to advance textile innovations from the laboratory to the market.
Project Highlights:
- The Lycra Company: A global leader in fiber innovation, the company will partner with AFFOA to integrate virtual garment prototyping into its product development process. In the realms of activewear, athleisure, and performance apparel, physical fit trials traditionally drive validation and are often accompanied by two to three months of lead time.
- Gentex Corporation: A longtime leader in protective helmet manufacturing for the U.S. Department of Defense, the company will receive AFFOA’s assistance in maturing an automation solution for sewing operations.
- Ecotune: A material innovation startup, Ecotune will leverage AFFOA’s expertise to accelerate the commercialization of its fully bio-based, plastic-free textile coatings, which are designed to replace high-carbon footprint materials like polyurethane and PVC.
- MacroCycle Technologies: A hard-tech startup developing a breakthrough textile-to-textile recycling platform, MacroCycle will collaborate with AFFOA to accelerate the commercial readiness of its SolvoGenesis™ platform. This technology converts post-consumer polyester waste into virgin-quality recycled polyester resin using over 80% less energy than conventional PET production.
AFFOA, a nonprofit innovation organization, brings together industry, academia, startups, and government to accelerate the commercialization and adoption of advanced fiber and fabric-enabled solutions.
