Saertex forms flax fibres partnership with Terre de Lin

Saertex and Terre de Lin have launched a collaboration for non-crimp fabrics with flax fibres for the marine and sports & leisure segments.

The partnership of the two companies aims to combine Saertex’s expertise in reinforcement materials with the large capacity of one of the world’s biggest suppliers of sustainable flax fibres, Terre de Lin.

Saertex is known for its expertise in composite reinforcements made from glass, carbon and aramid fibres. In addition to the previously used basalt, flax is now the second bio-based fibre that expands the range of textile possibilities. Flax fibres are renewable and have minimal environmental impact during processing. They help partners of Saertex to reduce the CO₂ footprint of their composite products and are thus in line with Saertex’s corporate vision ‘Innovation for a resource-saving future’, which aims to make a significant contribution towards minimising the consumption of non-renewable resources and fossil fuels.

At JEC World 2022, Saertex will display a rudder blade, which is part of a sailboat built predominantly from multiaxial flax fabrics by French Shipyard idb Marine. Among the many potential application areas, the marine sector is a forerunner that is increasingly using flax NCFs and thus also represents an important market for Saertex.

“With Terre de Lin, we have a strong partner with whom we share a common goal: to provide sustainable solutions that are tailored to customer applications. We are therefore very pleased about the cooperation,” said Nicolas Vernin, Team Leader SU Industry EMEA. “We are convinced that Terre de Lin is the optimal fibre supplier for reliable, reproducible and high-quality reinforcing materials made from flax. High production capacities ensure maximum availability for our customers who want to improve the environmental performance of their composite products.”

Terre de Lin is one of the global leaders in flax production. Based in Normandy, it manages flax culture and the transformation from seeds to fibres. The company is committed to ongoing quality improvement and innovation. Terre de Lin focuses on keeping its flax expertise gained from the seeds to the fibres method and strives to continuously improve the environmental impact of flax production as well as its social responsibility.

Next to the textile market, Terre de Lin, together with its subsidiary TDL Technique, is involved in the development of flax fibres for technical and composite applications. For 10 years now, TDL Technique has supported composite processors and end-users in the implementation of flax fibres composites.

“With flax fibres, we opened a new path for sustainable composites. We have spent the last decade pioneering the development of flax fibres for composites,” said Thierry Goujon, general manager of Terre de Lin. “Today, our aim is to secure the flax fibres supply for our industrial partners in the composites sector, and primarily to reinforcements producers. We are therefore delighted about this partnership with Saertex, the world leader in non-crimp fabrics. This technical and commercial partnership will enable us to target applications where flax non-crimp fabrics make a real difference and increase the use of flax fibres for sustainable composite solutions.”

Saertex and Terre de Lin will be displaying the latest innovations in the fields of reinforcement materials and flax fibres at the JEC World from 3–5 May.

www.saertex.com