This is a news for those who still have doubts that the green revolution in the fashion industry is a circumscribed phenomenon; from the latest edition of Fashion for Good – Plug and Play Accelerator, an initiative promoted by Fashion for Good, a global platform for sustainable innovation that promotes and finances the most deserving start-ups, there are 15 innovations related to as many new start-ups that promise a real revolution in the fashion industry.
The 15 start-ups were selected among hundreds of candidates from all over the world and represent varied supply chain areas from alternative raw materials to new business models, and each one must have the potential to completely remodel the industry of fashion. To support the development of every start-up, there is the Fashion for Good Plug and Play Accelerator, a tutoring service carried out by partners and mentors of the initiative which are Adidas, C & A, Galeries Lafayette, Kering, Target and Zalando.
But let’s take a closer look at some of these start-ups, which are already working with their tutors at the Fashion for Good hub in Amsterdam to arrive on June 14 next to the official presentation of their innovations in front of investors in the sector:
- Algiknit produces textile fibres extruded from kelp, a variety of seaweed, that can be knitted or 3D printed to minimize waste. The final knitwear is biodegradable and can be dyed with natural pigments;
- BioGlitz produces the world’s first biodegradable glitter. Based on a unique biodegradable formula made from eucalyptus tree extract, the eco-glitter is also compostable;
- circular.fashion has created a software that interconnects circular design, circular retail models and closed loop recycling technologies. Circular clothes are attributed an identification tag that orchestrates a reverse supply chain network of consumers, sorting and recycling companies to close the loop to regenerated textiles;
- Flocus produces natural yarns, fillings and fabrics made from kapok fibres, a tree naturally grown without the use of pesticides and insecticide in arid soil not suitable for agricultural farming, offering a sustainable alternative to high water consumption natural fibre crops such as cotton;
- Frumat uses apples to create a leather-like material; apple pectin is an industrial waste product which can be used to create sustainable materials that are totally compostable whilst still being durable enough to create luxury accessories. The materials can be dyed naturally and tanned without chemically intensive techniques;
- Good on You is a mobile app that provides ethical ratings for about 1,000 fashion brands rated on their impact on people, the environment and animals. It is built on a robust brand rating system which aggregates standards, certifications and data sources into a simple, accessible 5-point score to promote transparency across the fashion industry and to allow customers to make conscious purchasing decisions;
- Mango Materials produces biodegradable bio-polyester that can be used as a sustainable alternative to the present polyester utilized in the fashion industry;
- Nano Textile offers a sustainable alternative to binder chemicals normally used to attach finishes onto a fabric. Its technology embeds fabric finishes directly into fabric using a process called Cavitation and can apply to a range of products such as antibacterial & antiodor finishes or water repellency;
- Orange Fiber manufactures natural fabrics from citrus by-products; Orange Fiber is made by extracting the cellulose from the fibres that are discarded from the industrial pressing and processing of oranges. The fibre, through nanotechnology techniques, is enriched with citrus fruit essential oils, creating a unique and sustainable fabric.
To know all 15 start-ups you can go directly to the page of the news in question, there are really important innovations that we hope will soon be adopted by the fashion industry.
Good work to everyone in Amsterdam!
