Amui is a young, innovative company at the intersection of the textile industry, digitalisation and sustainability. Based in Bonn, it develops solutions based on sustainable materials, efficient recycling processes and circular business models. A key focus is on researching hemp as a promising raw material. Hemp grows quickly, requires significantly less water than cotton, thrives without pesticides, enriches the soil and binds large amounts of CO₂ during growth. Through the Enterprise Europe Network, represented in North Rhine-Westphalia by NRW.Europa, it established a contact in France, among other places.

‘Thanks to its versatility, hemp can be used almost entirely, which supports resource-efficient and low-waste production. This fits perfectly with our vision of a circular textile industry,’ says Managing Director Denis Hüter. His team is concerned with reuse, recycling and the intelligent use of resources – issues that are becoming increasingly important in an industry that is under growing pressure to take ecological responsibility.

With a combination of technology, fashion and circular economy, Amui aims to position itself in a growing market segment. The challenge lies in meeting the high standards of quality, sustainability and efficiency. If this balancing act is successful, says Denis Hüter, ‘we can distinguish ourselves as pioneers of a new, digitally networked and environmentally conscious textile industry.’

German-French cooperation drives sustainable innovation in the hemp textile sector

His participation in the European Industry & Research Exchange & Technology Day in Tourcoing in March 2025 was also in line with this aspiration. The event, co-organised by the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) Hauts-de-France, is a central platform for dialogue between industry, research and politics in the fields of technical textiles and personal protective equipment. During the event, Amui was able to establish valuable contacts with the regional clusters CLUBTEX and Euramaterials, which bring together European players to promote innovation and cross-border cooperation in the field of technical textiles.

As an EEN partner, the NRW.Europa team at ZENIT actively promoted the event and supported the business delegation from North Rhine-Westphalia on site. Through its membership in the EEN Textile Sector Group, ZENIT also played a key role in facilitating targeted contacts to promote cross-border cooperation in the textile sector, thereby strengthening regional synergies between North Rhine-Westphalia and Hauts-de-France.

A direct result of Amui's participation in the event was a cooperation project with a regional supplier in Hauts-de-France, HENRI BASTIEN, to develop a woven hemp bag – made entirely in France and proof of the strength and potential of regional and sustainable value chains within Europe.

At the same time, in partnership with the city of Bonn, the idea arose to develop a special hemp bag featuring the logo of the Summer of Change festival. This project demonstrates how a circular product – from cultivation and fibre processing to final production – can be realised entirely in Europe. It highlights the synergy between sustainable material use, regional cooperation and forward-looking product design within the framework of a circular economy

The bag has since been nominated for the German Sustainability Award 2026 and is considered a symbol of social change and ecological progress. ‘We have used this recognition to found the Circular Hemp e.V. association – a platform that connects research, business and society around the raw material hemp and actively promotes the circular economy,’ says Denis Hüter.  Further information is available at https://www.circularhemp.en/.

‘The NRW.Europa team has been advising us on international markets, internationalisation strategies and potential funding opportunities since our foundation. We have found valuable business partners through participation in various cooperation exchanges organised by the Enterprise Europe Network.’ Denis Hüter, Managing Director of Amui UG

Contact to the Company in North Rhine-Westphalia: Amui UG /https://amui.de/en/home-english/#pll_switcher)

Contact to EEN-Team of NRW.Europa: 

ZENIT GmbH / Enterprise Europe Network
for North Rhine-Westphalia NRW.Europa
Ekaterina Karpushenkova
Phone +49 208 / 30004-35
Mail: Ekaterina.Karpushenkova@zenit.eu

Contact to EEN in France: 

AGENCE REGIONALE DE DEVELOPPEMENT ET D'INNOVATION HAUTS DE FRANCE
Emilie MARCELET 
Web: http://www.een-hautsdefrance.fr

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