Italian bioplastics firm Bio-on SRL has signed an agreement with Innova Imagen SA de CV to make polyhydroxyalkanoate biopolymers in Mexico. Innova Imagen is a clothing manufacturer and merchandiser based in Monterrey and a unit of sustainable clothing maker Himes LLC of Austin, Texas. Himes co-founder Rogelio Himes said that PHA applications for the textile and fashion industry “particularly attracted our interest, because they have the potential to replace synthetic fibers such as polyester, one of the largest sources of pollution of our oceans caused by microfiber shredding.” PHAs made at the plant will be based on feedstocks available in Mexico, including waste from agave processing. Earlier Bio-on projects use fermented sugar cane or sugar beet pulp to make PHA.