manager_1 The Biomimicry institute is leading a new initiative to find innovative uses for the 92,000,000 tonnes of fashion waste that are discarded each year.
This two-year program explores new ways to make fashion fibers from decomposed waste.
The Institute, together with HKRITA and the Metabolic Institute, is conducting a landscape assessment of commercially-ready technologies for decomposition. These technologies will be piloted in order to identify alternative methods for the decomposition textile waste in major European cities. The Institute also works with local communities and governments to create detailed strategic plans for expansion.
The Laudes Foundation awarded 2.5 million euros to the Institute, a non-profit that works with nature-inspired solutions for a healthier planet. Through a multi-year Design for Decomposition initiative, the Institute will convert waste into biocompatible raw materials for the fashion industry.
Eliminating microplastics from clothing
More than a third (or more) of all microplastic pollution from clothing is released by fashion, and nearly 92 million tonnes of textile waste are disposed annually. This poses a threat to people’s health. It is crucial that the industry embraces true decomposition and works with nature to reduce the harmful effects of textile waste. This initiative is the goal of Biomimicry institute and its partners, supported by Laudes Foundation.
This initiative is a demonstration of the Laudes Foundation’s commitment to helping fashion industry harness their power for good and achieve systemic changes. It will involve a deep dive in biological research on the different types and circumstances natural decomposition. Local tests in Ghana will be conducted by the OR Foundation, based in Accra. The Laudes Foundation will then compare these approaches with the hundreds of decomposition technologies in order to find new bio-compatible solutions that can be used to show that system change is possible worldwide.
Change is possible
According to the Biomimicry Institute, many people in the fashion and textiles industry believe that it is impossible to manage without petroleum-based nylon. The best “green” strategies are those that make it easier to recycle and recover it. According to the Institute, human creativity can be a lot more than that. The Institute believes that the same forces that made the planet so welcoming to life are still at work today.
