The fashion industry is a major polluter in need of an urgent makeover. Responsible for up to 10% of global emissions, it has been a disaster for people and the planet.
A new fashion world is emerging though, one that is designed to be circular and transparently fair to all those working across the industry.
At the heart of this growing revolution sits Fashion for Good (FFG), a global initiative that is catalysing and supporting innovators dedicated to reimagining the industry. Today it announced the eight change makers that will join its 2022 Global Innovation Programme.
“We are excited to welcome these eight new innovators to the 2022 Fashion for Good Innovation Programme. We are inspired by the significant impact and carbon reduction opportunities their technologies enable. With an emphasis on driving impact and implementation, we strive to provide them with the best support to expedite their exposure and growth into the market,“ said Katrin Ley, Managing Director, Fashion for Good.
All eight represent the essence of a recent report co-authored by Fashion for Good, Unlocking the Trillion-Dollar Fashion Decarbonisation Opportunity, which sets out the industry’s path to net-zero.
The selected innovators will now join a nine-month programme that will validate their technologies, as they move to roll out their solutions wherever they are needed across the fashion value chain.
The Eight
DYERECYCLE (UK)
DyeRecycle’s proprietary technology combines the need to recycle both dye and fabrics, developing innovative circular solutions for dyeing using textile waste. The circular process uses a unique liquid that selectively extracts dyes from coloured waste fabrics. The decoloured fabric can be recycled more effectively and the extracted dye is transferred to new fabrics, creating a new concept of “recycled dyes”. The technology also has the capability to transform textile waste scraps into dyestuff powder.
EVER DYE (FRANCE)
Ever Dye is on a mission to reshape the fashion industry with efficient dyeing processes and sustainable colours. They’ve developed two chemical solutions that boost dye house production capacities and allow them to dye faster with less energy and without using any petrochemicals, as their dyestuff is made of vegetal waste and minerals.
IDELAM (FRANCE)
IDELAM develops processes using supercritical CO2 for complex, multi-material products and waste, such as jackets and footwear, to enable recycling or reuse of these materials.
KINTRA FIBERS (USA)
Kintra Fibers has developed a new, plant-based polyester replacement that matches the performance and price of traditional synthetics. With renewable inputs and a compostable chemistry, Kintra Fibers has designed their material to reduce manufacturing emissions, eliminate microfibre pollution, and enable textile circularity through chemical recycling and industrial compost.
MODERN SYNTHESIS (UK)
Modern Synthesis is a London based biotech company crafting the next generation of materials, with biology. Their proprietary microbial textile platform employs microbes to grow a completely new form of textile made of nanocellulose, a very strong and fine form of cellulose, which is the natural building block of materials like cotton, linen and wood. Aiming to help curb fashion industry emissions and plastic pollution, they plan to displace current petro-chemical based textiles, alternative leathers and films with a range of natural performance materials that are uniquely customisable, renewable, as well as inherently animal and plastic free.
PREMIRR PLASTICS (USA)
Premirr Plastics is an innovative technology company that is addressing the world’s plastics crisis. They have created a continuous flow-through (CFT) system that is fast, efficient and provides a simple, circular and eco-friendly method to chemically recycle PET, providing PET products containing recycled content that possess the same physical and chemical properties as virgin PET. Premirr’s CFT system can convert waste PET materials into Premirr’s BHET monomer that can then be used to manufacture PET products containing recycled content.
REFIBERD (USA)
Refiberd is developing a novel textile recycling system that uses AI and a patent-pending chemical recycling process to convert used, discarded textiles into new, reusable thread. By turning waste into a resource, Refiberd is able to manufacture 100% recycled thread that is up to 75% cheaper than other sustainable thread and cost-competitive to cotton, and easy to integrate into existing textile manufacturing processes.
RUBI (USA)
Rubi makes carbon-negative textiles for the fashion industry with synthetic biology. Founded in 2020, Rubi makes the same high-quality, natural textiles used in the industry today entirely from carbon emissions, bypassing current agriculture and manufacturing to create a product that is carbon-negative, water- and land- neutral, and naturally biodegradable.
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