Biodegradable Fashion Pops Out of a Mold

New York based startup Simplifyber has developed a novel approach to clothing and shoe manufacturing that removes traditional spinning, weaving, cutting, sewing and replaces it with a sustainable, less resource-intensive process and fully biodegradable solution, cutting out 60% of the steps and reducing the 35% of materials in the fashion supply chain that ends up as waste.

To make the product, Simplifyber pours liquid cellulose into a single 3D printed mold. What comes out is a fully completed shirt or sneaker.

The final products are biodegradable, and the whole process reduces waste. 

If it’s dyed, the dye can be added while the material is in liquid form, saving water. And when the material reaches the end of its life, it can be recycled into clothing again.

The material is made from a mix of wood pulp and other plants and biodegradable additives. It works somewhat similarly to making paper, but the resulting material is strong and durable.

Most of the bonding strength comes from an ingredient made from food waste, it creates an effect known as cross-linking, creating bonds at the molecular level.

The supply chain of fashion breaks down to fiber, yarn, spinning, weaving, cutting and sewing.

Simplifyber’s process is taking over everything that comes after fiber and replaces it with a single process, it also replaces all of the transportation that has to happen in between those steps. 

With its single-step process for clothing making, Simplifyber has the potential to beat the unit economics of polyester.

Simplifyber recently raised a $3.5 million seed round of funding. As it begins to partner with brands, the first product, likely to be a sneaker, may come to market as soon as next year.