SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA — March 4, 2026 — Bioforcetech (BFT), a Bay Area-based developer of waste transformation and carbon-negative solutions, announces a new collaboration with textile company RDD and Virus Inks to develop a new class of circular, high-performance textile materials and garment options.
The collaboration brings together three innovators committed to their shared mission: to rethink and redefine how “we make what we wear.”
At the center of the collaboration is OurCarbon, Bioforcetech’s carbon-negative material derived from sewage sludge, which will be integrated into advanced textiles by RDD via a sustainable black screen-printing ink infused with OurCarbon, made by Virus Inks.
Together, the companies aim to challenge conventional material practices that rely heavily on fossil-derived inputs and instead demonstrate how waste streams can be transformed into high-performing, scalable solutions for the textile industry.
“Collaboration has to be at the heart of the great transition all of our industries must go through to shift our production to one that supports life. Infusing OurCarbon into Virus Inks’ formula to be applied to RDD’s textile technology shows what is possible when organizations work together to build a circular product,” said Garrett Benisch, Chief Development Officer, Bioforcetech.
More than each individual part, the sum of the collaboration between the three innovators results in a complete package for brands to build lines around: cutting-edge sustainable textiles, high-performing water and bio-based ink, and a deeply circular material innovation in OurCarbon.
“What make this project with RDD and OurCarbon® truly special is the opportunity to collaborate with teams who share a strong vision, deep expertise, and genuine enthusiasm for progress. This collaboration proves that circular innovation is not a future concept, it is more than ready for production today,” said Laura Quaglia, COO, Virus Inks®.
The project takes a deep look at current industry material practices, which are often extractive, emissive, and polluting, and instead delivers a new class of durable, healthy, high-performing materials with a huge impact from an unexpected source: sewage sludge.
“When we set out to build Bioforcetech back in 2012, we knew we could work to shift the way we handle our waste. Step by step, we created a viable option for an energy-free transition from ‘waste’ to a valuable material. Now, seeing the possibilities with OurCarbon coming from our full-scale facilities has completely put the theory into practice. There is no waste in nature, and there should be no waste in our cities or our garments,” said Dario Presezzi, CEO, Bioforcetech.
Product Descriptions, Development and Applications
Rethink Black – Virus Ink- Durable, sustainable, screen printing formula
Most screen printing inks rely on plastisol and solvents, resulting in the emission of VOC’s in factories and the infusion of PVC polymers into garments. Virus Inks instead created a 100% water-based, plant-based formula completely free of PVC, phthalates, formaldehyde, VOCs, and other substances hazardous to human health or the environment. With this Wet-On-Wet technology, textile printers can apply layers without drying between colors, saving time and energy and reducing emissions. When tinted black with OurCarbon, this specialty formula avoids the use of carbon black, the standard pigment derived directly from fossil fuels.
Rethink Black® is Oeko-Tex Class 100 certified, complies with the most stringent Restricted Substances Lists (RSLs), is 80% bio-based, and is suitable even for babywear production (0–3 years). It is exclusively tinted with OurCarbon.
RDD – Redefining the Future of Textiles
RDD, a leader in textile innovation, put Rethink Black through rigorous performance tests—and it easily passed. In a comparative study, Virus Ink’s Rethink Black’s performance matched or exceeded industry standards on durability with a deep black color and an incredible handfeel.
This collaborative innovation embodies RDD’s commitment to reshaping the way textiles are made and perceived by designing materials that unite innovation, performance, and sustainability in every thread. ReThink Black with OurCarbon realizes this vision, repurposing harmful waste streams while avoiding fossil‑based pigments, toxic VOCs, and polymers–without sacrificing performance or beauty.
Bioforcetech (BFT) – Redefine, Rethink, and Build a Future that Endures.
Bioforcetech turns its most basic form of waste–sewage sludge–into OurCarbon®, a circular, carbon‑negative material already in use across multiple cities. This innovative process turns a material burden into sustainable production, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and eliminating contaminants, including PFAS.
The Bioforcetech system is an innovation in and of itself, coupling a proprietary bacterial drying process with a unique, zero-oxygen heated conversion that can produce OurCarbon® from this wet, low-heating-value input at net zero thermal energy demand. Fundamentally distinct from combustion, the Bioforcetech process fixes carbon in place and thermochemically converts it into OurCarbon.
To learn more about this collaboration or inquire about a project, visit: https://rddtextiles.pt/
Posted: March 7, 2026
Source: Bioforcetech (BFT) / RDD Textiles
