Epoch Biodesign’s Post

What about a plastic free brand??? Let's have a chat! 😊 🌍 Plastic's stealthy grip on our lives knows no boundaries, even venturing into the unlikeliest of corners. The path toward becoming a plastic-free fashion brand is laden with challenges - microplastics intricately woven into textiles, inconspicuous plastic packaging concealed in supply chains. It's a quest that calls for unwavering dedication and a meticulous eye for detail. 🧡 For a small brand like mine, the challenge is amplified, yet it holds an allure that's hard to resist. As a brand deeply rooted in local Belgian craftsmanship, I have the privilege of scrutinizing every nuance. Over the past three formative years of entrepreneurship, I personally handled each stitch, pouring heart and soul into every creation. Now, as demand swells and our community grows, the time has come to expand our horizons. I'm excited to introduce the expertise of local professional seamstresses into the equation. This strategic move not only meets our customers' escalating requests but also grants me the freedom to explore innovative avenues in our pursuit of a plastic-free future. Imagine this: crafting shoulder straps from discarded natural fibers, a small yet impactful step towards sustainability. A product you cannot find yet on the market.. The potential is exhilarating, and I can't wait to embark on this transformative journey. As my hands are liberated from the sewing machine, they'll be channeling energy into crafting sustainable strategies, experimenting fearlessly with new ideas. 🧠 This expedition is about more than just change; it's about community. I invite you, my invaluable network, to join me in this dialog. Let's navigate the challenges, share insights, and collectively champion the cause of ultra-sustainable fashion here in Belgium. Together, we'll stitch a narrative of conscious consumption and pioneer a plastic-free future, one stitch at a time. Stay tuned for updates, hurdles faced, and triumphant breakthroughs. Your support and engagement are catalysts for change, propelling us forward in our mission to craft a wardrobe that's as kind to the planet as it is to your style.

Plastic fibres dominate the fashion industry despite the fact that they’re highly polluting and reliant on fossil fuels. But how did we get here? As fast fashion grew, so did the industry’s use of cheap synthetic fibres like polyester and nylon. Synthetics now represent 64% of all fibres made every year, using huge amounts of oil and shedding millions of microfibres into our oceans and environment. There’s no doubt we’re in a tricky spot but from brand choices to government action, things are happening to create a better, more natural way forwards. Read more on our blog https://bit.ly/3TqpclO

[Interview] 🩳 👗 What is the future of clothing? Paulien Harmsen is researching alternatives to polluting polyester and cotton, such as the use of a wider range of raw materials for natural, semi-synthetic and synthetic clothing fabrics. She hopes that in future a type of polyester will be designed without the use of fossil raw materials and with the right properties for textiles. Some plant fibres are unsuitable for direct processing in the same way as cotton because they are too short or not strong enough; https://buff.ly/3RK2hjo If you are motivated to step into action on the subject, join our brand new ReThink Textile Hackathon to propose practical solutions to the fast fashion problem with expert support. More information: https://buff.ly/48NSwH9. #fastfashion #rethinktextile #wur #sustainablefashion #sustainablematerials

#Didyouknow recycled cotton only accounts for 4.5% of all forms of cotton textile sourcing, although cotton is the second most important fiber in terms of volume? (Textile Exchange’s 2022 Material Change Insights)   At Lenzing Group, scaling up recycled materials is at the forefront of our innovation. “Materials play a key role in ensuring circularity, and finding ways to extend their lifecycles should be a key objective,” as Gulfem Oral , MSc, Global Business Development Manager, Fashion Ready to Wear at Lenzing Group, pointed out. “Choosing TENCEL™ branded fibers as a blending partner allows mills and brands to be compatible with a more extensive range of raw materials, unlocking creative possibilities.”   Discover how we can co-create viable options to provide consumers and designers with recycle-friendly options: https://lnkd.in/gZ9eebfd #TENCEL #AdvancingCircularity #Sustainability

The fashion industry is among the most unsustainable industries. When unsold or at the end of their useful lives, billions of pieces of clothing are simply discarded, ending up in landfill or incinerators. On the following article we are pointing our the challenges of textile recycling: https://lnkd.in/dyf3M7xx

Recently there has been a surge in commitments to improve the environmental impact of the textile supply chain. More than 85% of leading brands have made decarbonization pledges. More than 35 new pieces of sustainability-linked legislation will go into effect around the world over the next four years. It's an encouraging start, but a major first step is closing the gap between supply and demand of sustainable raw materials. Protein Evolution’s biological recycling technology can help meet this demand. Our enzymes process textile and traditional plastic waste into the ingredients of new plastic, all with a lower-carbon output than traditional recycling. By scaling our technology, and providing a more energy efficient pathway to textile recycling, we can support the larger industry pledges and a pathway towards circularity. #textilewaste #textilerecycling #circularity #decarbonization

It may be time for Plastic Free July, but industry experts say global consumption of synthetic apparel – petroleum-based clothes like polyester that release microplastic particles – is on target to increase unless the industry addresses the issue. Research shows fully 75% of consumers say it’s important their apparel be made from materials that can biodegrade. Studies at both North Carolina State University and Cornell University determined cotton biodegrades strikingly quickly, especially when compared to polyester. Read about fashion’s microplastic pollution issue and consumers’ preferred clothing fabrics in the latest Lifestyle Monitor™. https://lnkd.in/gZdEz-m3 #CottonIncorporated #LifestyleMonitor #PlasticFreeJuly #sustainability #naturalfibers #microplasticpollution

The pressing sustainability challenges within the textile value chain demand immediate attention from stakeholders including channel partners, customers, researchers, and policymakers. These issues encompass concerns such as the staggering water usage of 2700 liters for a single cotton t-shirt, the release of 700,000 microplastics per laundry load from polyester garments, which ultimately find their way into the food value chain, a significant lack of awareness among consumers regarding the short life cycle of fast fashion, highlighting the necessity for stringent policy enforcement. #textile #sustainability #microplastics #policyimplication

Fascinating new scientific developments that seek to address the insidious consequences of fast fashion, over production and over consumption are most certainly compelling. Nevertheless, the real solution needs to come from consumer pressure and fashion industry leaders who acknowledge responsibility for sustainable changes in design, production and product stewardship. Until then, reuse is the highest and best environmental, social and economic return.

In an innovative step towards sustainable fashion, researchers have developed a chemical recycling method that breaks down polyester and spandex into useful monomers, while keeping cotton and nylon intact. This strategy could significantly boost textile recycling rates by simplifying the process and reducing the need for extensive sorting. As fast fashion contributes to 92 million tons of textile waste annually, with less than 1% currently recycled, this breakthrough offers a promising solution. The method, which uses microwave-assisted glycolysis with a zinc oxide catalyst, efficiently recovers materials from mixed textile waste streams. This advancement could enable the recycling of up to 88% of global textiles, marking a substantial leap towards environmental sustainability in the fashion industry. https://lnkd.in/g_4k9Ues #Chemistry #Textile #Fashion #Sustainability #IP #VC #Patents #DeepTech