Textile Glacier Protection
“Paradoxically, although the methods of protecting ice and snow with geotextiles are effective, Sattler’s research shows that microplastics from the textiles can enter the sensitive ecosystems around the glaciers. In view of this, Sattler and Koell asked themselves whether it would be possible to protect glaciers in an environmentally friendly way.
Together, they came up with the idea of making a biodegradable nonwoven geotextile from Lenzing’s cellulose fibers, which would protect the glacier without releasing microplastics. To this end, they reached agreement with other companies, including Naue, a leading international manufacturer of building materials, which produced four-meter wide rolls of nonwoven fabric using Lenzing’s cellulose fibers.”