Sustainable Products · Innovate and Disrupt
Translating ideas into impact
Innovation at MAS is driven through a central function that works across two areas — exploring opportunities beyond the core, while strengthening existing capabilities through focused, high-impact solutions. This enables the business to evolve while building on what it already does well. A key priority is the development of proprietary technologies and intellectual property that strengthen differentiation. These efforts are focused on improving product performance, enhancing efficiency, and enabling more cost-effective solutions. Close collaboration across divisions ensures that innovation is practical, scalable, and aligned with long-term business priorities.
Innovation in Action
- Next-generation materials validated and applied across product lines
- Circular pathways advanced through textile-to-textile solutions
- On-demand and resource-efficient production models scaled
- Health and performance solutions expanded into new segments
Our Approach to Innovation
Our innovation efforts are anchored in two complementary areas, ensuring a balance between future-focused exploration and strengthening what we do today.
Identifying and developing new solution spaces beyond the core business.
- Expanding into emerging segments such as health-tech and performance wearables
- Creating proprietary technologies that open new applications and markets
- Building intellectual property that strengthens long-term differentiation
- Translating research and insights into scalable, commercially viable solutions
Enhancing how we design, make, and deliver products.
- Advancing materials, manufacturing, and design capabilities
- Improving efficiency, speed, and consistency across production processes
- Integrating innovation into existing product categories and operations
- Enabling faster translation of ideas into practical, real-world applications
How we have evolved
From partnerships to real-world application
The shift towards more sustainable materials was not straightforward. It required balancing performance, scalability, and commercial viability — while responding to growing expectations for lower-impact products.
Against this backdrop, MAS has been working to move beyond conventional materials through both alternative fibre innovation and circular material pathways.
Following the partnerships and off-take commitments established over the past two years, 2025 marked a shift from early collaboration to real-world application, with these materials moving into product development and use.
- Partner
- HeiQ (Switzerland)
- Partnership
- Established in 2023 through a strategic investment and long-term offtake agreement.
- What It Is
- A next-generation cellulosic yarn developed to replicate the performance of polyester and nylon, while being derived from renewable feedstock.
- Why It Matters
- Supports the shift away from fossil-based fibres by enabling lower-impact alternatives without compromising performance.
- Partner
- Ambercycle (USA)
- Partnership
- Established in 2024 through a 3-year off-take agreement.
- What It Is
- Cycora® — a regenerated polyester made from end-of-life textile waste using molecular regeneration technology.
- Why It Matters
- Enables textile-to-textile recycling by converting discarded garments into new fibres, reducing reliance on virgin polyester.
In 2025, innovation moved beyond development into application, with next-generation and circular materials integrated into products and tested under real-world conditions.
Integrated into a real-world marathon wearer trial to assess performance, comfort, and durability under actual use conditions, while also being evaluated within customer development pipelines for future product applications.
Applied two material types within a customer-led collection as part of customer pipeline validation, supporting ongoing testing and material development, and laying the groundwork for future expansion into nylon circularity.
Key Enablers
- Strong partnerships and offtake commitments
- Cross-functional collaboration across design, sourcing, and product teams
- Capability-building to support adoption of new materials
- Integration of Sustainable Product Criteria into decision-making
Why This Matters
- Moves innovation into product use
- Builds confidence in performance and scalability
- Strengthens integration of alternative and circular materials
- Supports the shift toward lower-impact material systems
Innovation in action
Solutions that drive change
MAS' innovation pipeline reflects a deliberate shift from concept to application — where solutions are not purely designed to perform, but to address real-world challenges across circularity, efficiency, health, and evolving consumer needs. These innovations demonstrate how material science, engineering, tech, and design converge to create scalable, market-relevant outcomes that deliver both commercial and sustainable value.
Extending Product Life and Enabling Circularity
PERCVD
Plasma Coating Technology
A proprietary plasma-based coating technology — among the first of its kind in apparel — designed to restore and enhance garment functionality of finished garments.
What it does: Enables garments to regain properties such as water repellency and stain resistance, without compromising the garment's integrity.
How it works: Uses a water-free, effluent-free plasma enhanced coating process to restore or enhance surface performance while preserving the base material's inherent properties such as hand-feel, structure, and appearance. The solution incorporates C-Zero (non-fluorinated) chemistries, thereby eliminating persistent 'forever chemicals' and reducing long-term environmental and human health risks, while supporting safe reuse and recycling.
Why it matters: Extends product life and reduces waste by allowing garments to be refreshed and used for longer, helping to reduce landfill impact while supporting circular models such as reuse, resale, and repair.
Redefining Production Efficiency and Resource Use
Promptly
On-Demand Manufacturing
A demand-driven business model that shifts away from forecast-based manufacturing.
Leveraging precision digital printing, real-time data integration, and digitally enabled manufacturing systems, garments are produced only when required — eliminating excess inventory, minimising waste, and improving water and energy efficiency across the value chain.
Advancing Health, Recovery, and Quality of Life
Wavetec
Health-Tech Wearables
Clinically validated and regulatory compliant wearable solutions that combine textiles, engineering, and design to improve patient outcomes.
Active compression systems support circulation, manage fluid build-up, and enhance recovery — enabling greater comfort, accessibility, and adherence to treatment.
Enhancing Performance and Emerging Lifestyles
GamerTech & Passive Compression Solutions
Performance Wearables
Wearable performance solutions designed for emerging segments such as esports.
Passive compression technologies provide targeted support to improve circulation, reduce fatigue, and enhance endurance — translating wearable-tech innovation into high-performance, lifestyle-driven applications.
Addressing Underserved Needs in Women's Health
Femography
Absorbent Technology
A textile-based innovation addressing underserved needs such as menstrual health and urinary incontinence.
By combining a moisture-wicking top layer, high-capacity absorbent core and leak-proof barriers, this technology provides reliable protection and ultra-thin comfort, offering a sustainable, reusable alternative to traditional disposables, protecting the planet and empowering women with confidence and comfort throughout every stage of life.
Building Capability and Future Opportunity
To us, innovation is inherently collaborative — bringing together central teams and divisional expertise to translate ideas into scalable solutions. This approach has enabled the development of a strong pipeline of opportunities across core focus areas. At the same time, innovation serves as a platform for capability building. Exposure to advanced technologies, cross-functional development, and solution-driven thinking strengthens technical expertise across teams — supporting both business transformation and employee progression, and reinforcing MAS' commitment to creating meaningful opportunities through Lives Changed for Good.
Future focus
Strengthening core capabilities
As MAS continues to scale innovation, focus is also directed toward strengthening core capability areas that enable faster and more effective translation of ideas into impact. Several priority areas have been identified to enhance execution and long-term value creation.
Materials
Advancing next-generation materials with enhanced functionality, sustainability, and performance, while improving integration across product categories and applications.
Assembly
Improving manufacturing agility through simplified construction, automation readiness, and scalable production techniques that support speed, consistency, and cost efficiency.
Design
Embedding design earlier in the innovation cycle to ensure solutions are consumer-led, purpose-driven, and aligned with emerging needs across health, performance, and lifestyle segments.
Technology
Strengthening the integration of digital, engineering, and platform-based capabilities to accelerate innovation, improve precision, and unlock new solution pathways.