#Yarn & Fiber

2017-08-23

AMSilk named one of the 50 most innovative companies worldwide by Technology Review

AMSilk GmbH, the world's first industrial supplier of synthetic silk biopolymers, has been chosen by the German edition of MIT Technology Review as one of the 50 most innovative companies in the world. Now in its fourth year, this exclusive list honors companies that have achieved a technological breakthrough with their industry-changing products. AMSilk was recognized for its bioengineered spider silk, a new material which opens completely new possibilities for applications throughout the medical, cosmetic and textile industries.

Together with AMSilk, among the 50 most innovative companies recognized this year are industry giants including the Chinese online-retail giant Alibaba, Amazon, Continental, Daimler, Microsoft and Tesla.

AMSilk among the three finalists in the “Technology” category

As a first time honoree, AMSilk was named among the three finalists in the “Technology” category. The company will participate in the solemn prize awarding ceremony at the StartupNight in the Berlin Representation Office of Deutsche Telekom on September 8.

“Being honored as one of the 50 most innovative companies in the world makes us very proud. This award shows that AMSilk’s synthetic silk is not only a highly innovative product, but that it has the potential to disrupt industries and provide substantial added value for our partners, “said AMSilk CEO Jens Klein.

“We are looking forward to the prize awarding ceremony in Berlin and to the exchange of ideas with other innovation makers of the international business world.“

Robert Thielicke, editor-in-chief of Technology Review, added: “Since its foundation, Technology Review has been looking for companies and people which move at the limit of the feasible. This method might be subjective to a certain extent. But what would objective criteria be? The expenditure for research? The number of patents? In this case AMSilk would not have been considered although the company has achieved what has long been regarded as impossible: to learn from nature and produce the spider silk artificially. Now it is possible to produce incredibly robust, skin friendly and at the same time environmentally friendly clothes.”

Evonik and AMSilk extend partnership for sustainable biotech silk materials

Evonik and AMSilk, a global leader in advanced biomaterials based on silk proteins, have deepened their collaboration with a long-term agreement to produce sustainable silk proteins at industrial scale. Building on their initial manufacturing agreement from 2023, the companies have commissioned a manufacturing line at Evonik’s Slovakian site for AMSilk’s high-performance silk. This innovative biomaterial is produced with minimal environmental impact and is designed for use in premium fashion and highly demanding automotive interiors.

AMSilk secures EUR 52M strategic financing to accelerate commercial growth

AMSilk GmbH (“AMSilk”), a frontrunner in advanced biomaterials made from silk-based proteins, today announced it has successfully secured EUR 52 million financing led by existing investor ATHOS (AT Newtec), along with strong participation from fellow existing investors MIG Capital and Novo Holdings. The financing combines EUR 30 million in equity, and EUR 22 million in convertible bonds. This reflects strong investor confidence and long-term commitment in AMSilk’s technology and market potential.

AMSilk announces successful partnership negotiation with Ajinomoto for industrial fermentation

AMSilk GmbH (“AMSilk/the Company”), a frontrunner in advanced biomaterials made from spider silk-based proteins, today announces that the Company and Ajinomoto Foods Europe (AFE), a company with over 50 years of experience in industrial fermentation, and the affiliate of the globally established Ajinomoto group, have expressed mutual interest to step into a long-term partnership to biomanufacture silk proteins at Ajinomoto Foods Europe’s manufacturing facility in Nesle, France.

Better, faster, bio-based: Functional new Plastic alternatives

How can new bio-based and biohybrid materials with improved features be developed faster? Six Fraunhofer institutes are jointly exploring this question in the SUBI²MA flagship project, using an innovative bio-based polyamide developed by Fraunhofer researchers as a model. Its specific properties make it a promising alternative to fossil-based plastics.

BCI warns against ‘dangerous dilution’ of EU corporate directives

The approval of the European Commission’s Omnibus I proposal by the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs, accepting controversial changes to key sustainability directives is of great concern. These changes, namely to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), threaten to significantly dilute business reporting and due diligence obligations.

Pioneering open-source framework shows how early innovation drives a just and net-zero fashion future

The non-profit H&M Foundation, in collaboration with Accenture, has unveiled From Signals to Systems Change, an insight report calling on the fashion industry to rethink its role in transformation. At its core is the Reimagined System Map, a pioneering open-source framework that visualises how early-stage innovation could drive a just and net-zero textile future.

Groz-Beckert showcases textile innovation at ITMA Asia + CITME 2025 in Singapore

From October 28 to 31, 2025, the global textile industry will gather at ITMA Asia + CITME at the Singapore Expo, where Groz-Beckert will present its latest highlights and innovations across its six product areas – Knitting, Weaving, Nonwovens, Tufting, Sewing, and Spinning – at Hall 5, Booth B301.