Milliken & Company, headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina, is investing in and partnering with biomolecular technology company Tidal Vision.

Headquartered in Bellingham, Washington, with more than 200 employees and facilities in five states, Tidal Vision is developing products based on chitosan for critical industries.

Milliken’s investment will increase the availability of reliable, responsibly sourced materials with biodegradable properties in multiple applications made possible by Tidal Vision’s proprietary technologies that are transforming chitosan – a powerful and biodegradable compound – into high-performance chemistries.

Chitosan is a refined derivative of chitin, the second most abundant biopolymer on earth after cellulose. It is found in the formation of structural cells in all insects, crustaceans and many fungi. Chitosan molecules and the enzymes to degrade them are abundant in the decomposition ecology of every ecosystem.

Chitosan is also the only industrial biopolymer that has a naturally positive electrostatic charge giving its a strong affinity to ions, metals, molecules, macromolecules and microorganisms.

Tidal Vision says this property makes it useful in more than 400 applications on the market today that otherwise require problematic materials or chemicals.

The company also has a partnership with Leigh Fibers, the largest textile fibre processing and upcycling company in North America, with which it has formulated a scalable and eco-friendly solution for providing flame retardant and antimicrobial performance. As a result, its Tidal-Tec solutions and are now displacing millions of pounds of synthetic chemicals in the textile industry.

“At Milliken, we invest with a long-term perspective, prioritising partnerships that will drive meaningful growth,” said Halsey Cook, president and CEO at Milliken. “Our approach is grounded in thorough research, strategic alignment with our core values, and a commitment to creating lasting value for our customers.”

“Tidal Vision is thrilled to partner with Milliken, combining our complementary strengths to expand the use of chitosan-based chemistries into new applications on a global scale,” said Craig Kasberg, CEO of Tidal Vision. “By replacing non-biodegradable alternatives at scale, we’re driving meaningful environmental impact.”

www.milliken.com

www.TidalVision.com