Laura Griffiths speaks to Galy Levy, Head of R&D at Balena, a material science company, developing high-performance biopolymers, about building a circular fashion economy with 3D printing and sustainable materials, and partnering with modular 3D fashion designer Brigitte Kock of Variable Seams.
TCT: Balena worked with Variable Seams to co-create a collection of flexible, ready-to-wear 3D printed garments. What was your shared vision?
GL: Our collaboration with Variable Seams was driven by a shared ambition to redefine the boundaries of fashion through 3D printing, biobased materials, and sustainability. Together, we aimed to demonstrate how 3D printing can create flexible, ready-to-wear garments that are both flexible, durable, wearable, and fully circular. By leveraging Balena’s BioCir Flex3D material, we combined technical excellence with a sustainable lifecycle, showcasing how cutting-edge materials and computational design can revolutionise the way fashion is produced and consumed. At the heart of our vision is a commitment to creating a better, more sustainable future for fashion.
TCT: The collection is made using Balena’s compostable BioCirflex3D material. Can you tell us about the make-up of this material and its unique attributes?
GL: BioCir Flex3D is a game-changer for sustainable design. It’s a biobased, compostable material with a rubber-like texture that provides strength, flexibility, and agility. What makes it so special is that it’s derived from sustainable sources like castor beans and polysaccharides, ensuring it’s both functional and environmentally responsible. At Balena, we’ve developed a unique formulation that blends biodegradable polymers, naturally occurring bio-based components, and other biodegradable modifiers. This combination doesn’t just make our materials circular; it also ensures exceptional durability and functionality. What’s exciting about BioCir Flex3D is how versatile it is. It’s designed to twist, flex, and withstand impact, meaning it not only lasts longer but also opens up new creative possibilities for designers. Its print-ready properties allow for precise, on-demand manufacturing, making it the perfect choice for creating future-forward designs.
Balena
Balena 3D printed garments - 1
TCT: Can you elaborate on what this proposed circular journey looks like?
GL: At Balena, we’re building a truly circular system that gives brands complete control over the lifecycle of their products. This means providing multi-end-of-life solutions, where materials can either be recycled or biodegrade on demand. Through our end-of-life network, we connect brands to a streamlined process for recycling, composting, and biodegradation, making it easier than ever to transition from creation to disposal while fully closing the loop. Our BioCir materials are designed to contribute to this vision of a circular economy. For example, BioCir Flex3D is certified industrially compostable, meeting global standards like ASTM D6400-04 and EN 13432. This ensures that the material biodegrades fast and safely in controlled composting facilities. At the same time, it’s fully recyclable, meaning it can be reprocessed and reintegrated into new production cycles, helping to reduce the need for virgin material and achieving zero post-industrial waste. Especially in 3D printing, where there’s a lot of trial and error, we’ve shown how these circular principles work in practice. During the development process, the material was not only tested but also recycled and reprinted, proving its durability and versatility. This project showcases how a fully circular journey can be achieved, even in complex processes like additive manufacturing.
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TCT: How attainable is this future of circular fashion economies?
GL: A fully circular textile fashion industry is absolutely attainable, but it requires collective effort across the entire value chain. At Balena, we’re enabling this future by developing innovative materials like our BioCir range, which are designed for recyclability and compostability. What’s unique is that these materials integrate seamlessly into existing manufacturing processes, allowing brands to transition to circular practices without the need for a complete overhaul.
That said, achieving this vision goes beyond materials—it requires collaboration between material innovators, designers, and manufacturers, along with stronger regulations and growing consumer demand for sustainable solutions. Infrastructure for collection and recycling is still a challenge, but advancements in technology and partnerships like ours are proving that a circular economy isn’t just an idea—it’s scalable and within reach. Progress may take time, but with the right systems and commitment, the fashion industry can fully embrace circularity.
TCT: Historically, 3D printed fashion has taken the form of wearable concepts or accessories rather than fully wearable garments. What does this project show us about the potential future of sustainable fashion?
GL: This project represents a groundbreaking step in 3D printed fashion, moving beyond accessories and concepts to create fully wearable garments that combine functionality, comfort, and sustainability. Historically, materials used in 3D printing have been too rigid or brittle for practical wear, but with the development of BioCir Flex3D, we’ve introduced a material that offers the flexibility and durability required for ready-to-wear applications. From a technical standpoint, this project is a milestone in integrating additive manufacturing with sustainable material science. It showcases the potential for precise, on-demand production, waste reduction, and circularity through compostable and recyclable materials. This is just the beginning of what’s possible when cutting-edge materials and technology converge to reshape the industry.
TCT: What are your thoughts on materials as an enabling force for 3D printing innovation?
Balena
GL: Materials are undeniably the driving force behind the evolution of 3D printing, transitioning the technology from prototyping to creating functional, real-world applications. The mechanical properties, flexibility, and sustainability of materials dictate the scope of what can be achieved, especially in industries like fashion, where durability and wearability are critical. At Balena, we’ve experienced this firsthand with BioCir Flex3D. Its unique combination of flexibility, impact absorption, and circular properties not only facilitates innovative design but also enables scalable, sustainable manufacturing. This material's biobased composition ensures compatibility with circular economy principles, while its print-ready properties streamline production for both precision and efficiency. As material science advances, we expect to see improvements in strength, elasticity, and processability that will push 3D printing into new territories. These developments will unlock applications ranging from fully wearable garments to industrial-scale production, ensuring that 3D printing becomes a key technology for sustainable innovation. The future of 3D printing relies on materials that can seamlessly integrate performance, versatility, and environmental responsibility, and their ongoing evolution will redefine what’s achievable across industries
TCT: You’re also using desktop FDM machines, which I think sometimes we can underestimate the power of! Why did you choose these technologies?
GL: We chose desktop FDM machines because they strike an ideal balance of accessibility, precision, and scalability, perfectly aligning with the goals of this project. FDM technology allows us to fully optimise the unique properties of BioCir Flex3D—flexibility, durability, and printability— while offering cost efficiency and versatility. These machines are widely available, often found in households, making them accessible for designers and brands to experiment with sustainable 3D printing without requiring specialised equipment.
FDM machines also excel in rapid prototyping, enabling precise adjustments to material performance, wearability, and settings like infill patterns and layer adhesion. While we’ve focused on FDM for its accessibility, BioCir Flex3D is versatile enough to work across various 3D printing technologies, including industrial-scale systems. This ensures compatibility with both standard and advanced workflows, demonstrating that circular materials like BioCir Flex3D can deliver scalable, sustainable solutions for diverse industries.
TCT: Balena has worked on numerous projects within the fashion sector. Can you share more on those projects or plans for future ones?
GL: Absolutely. One of our recent collaborations was with Bruno Tognin, a trailblazer in 3D-printed fashion. Together, we explored the transformative potential of BioCir Flex3D, by designing a groundbreaking 3D printed top that demonstrates how sustainable materials can be crafted for today’s needs and recycled into tomorrow’s creations. This project is just the beginning. Using his innovative recycling machinery, Bruno will take the same top and reimagine it into an entirely new design later in 2025, showcasing how BioCir Flex3D empowers designers to create, recycle, and push the boundaries of sustainable fashion. We’re so excited about what’s next— this is just one example of the exciting collaborations we have in the pipeline. Balena is committed to driving innovation in the 3D printing and fashion industries, and there’s much more to come.
This article originally appeared inside TCT Europe Edition Vol. 33 Issue 1 and TCT North American Edition Vol. 11 Issue 1. Subscribe here to receive your FREE print copy of TCT Magazine, delivered to your door six times a year.
