DuPont has signed a joint venture agreement with Tate & Lyle PLC, a U.K.-based carbohydrate processing company, to develop and build a production facility for a bio-based nylon and polyester alternative. The joint venture will use a proprietary fermentation and purification process developed jointly by DuPont and Tate & Lyle to produce the key building block for DuPont’s ‘Sorona’ polymer.

Sorona is currently produced using petroleum-based chemicals, and the new process will create the same fabric through renewable resources – essentially a more environmentally friendly synthetic fabric.