A number of these companies have relevance to the denim industry, working with blendable fibres, dyeing techniques and 'leather alternatives', such as Biophilica and Lignopure.

Katrin Ley, managing director of Fashion for Good, said: “The world needs innovation to lead the vanguard on positive, long-term climate action and sustainability.

“The case for supporting innovative start-ups such as these who are driving the change is looking stronger than ever.”

The selected innovators are: Alchemie, AnamXR, Biophilica, eCO2Dye, Lignopure, Living Ink, Made2Flow, MTI-X, OSM-Shield, Perfitly, Rescoll, Stony Creek Colors, The Hurd Co and Traceless.

 
ALCHEMIE (UK)
Alchemie Technology has developed clean-tech dyeing and finishing processes enabled by its digital fluid jetting technology. The process is focused on polyester and will soon be available for natural fibres such as cotton. The solutions help to reduce wastewater, chemicals and energy consumption.

ANAMXR (US) 
AnamXR builds virtual immersive B2B and DTC gamified retail experiences. The platform uses proprietary technology in combination with game engine technology to achieve 3D realism. 

BIOPHILICA (UK) 
Biophilica transforms garden and park waste into Treekind,  a compostable, plastic-free and recyclable material. 

ECO2DYE (US) 
eCO2Dye has developed solutions for pre-treatment and dyeing of natural and synthetic fibres in supercritical CO2. The process significantly reduces water consumption, chemicals and energy use and most of the CO2 is recycled in a closed-loop process. 

LIGNOPURE (Germany) 
Lignopure provides a platform technology developing a 100% plant-based material from industrial side-stream lignin and natural rubber, making it a biobased and inherent biodegradable polymer. 

LIVING INK (US) 
Living Ink is a biotechnology company transforming waste-algae material into a bio-based carbon black that can replace petroleum derived carbon black. The pigment is jet black, UV stable and has the potential to be carbon negative. 

MADE2FLOW (Germany) 
Made2Flow uses solutions to gather data directly from production partners and validate it based on multiple sources. The data is then benchmarked and translated into environmental impact indicators such as CO2, water, biodiversity, energy. It can help consumers make informed decisions and gives brands oversight over their supply chain impact hotspots.

MTI-X (UK)
MTI-X is an advanced materials and processing technology company which developed MLSE (Multiplexed Laser Surface Enhancement) systems to digitally pre-treat and finish both natural and synthetic textile materials. 

OSM SHIELD (US) 
OSM Shield’s Zero chemistry solution is a non-PFAS high performance durable water and oil repellency technology which is free from perfluoro alkyl compounds. It can be applied using traditional application methods on all fibre types, but the focus is on cotton and polyester. 

PERFITLY (US) 
Perfitly is a AR/VR-AI based size recommendation and visualisation platform for fashion e-commerce, helping brands reduce returns. Online shoppers try on clothes using their custom digital body double to find their perfect fit and look. 

RESCOLL (France) 
RESCOLL offers a thermal-debondable separation technique for different applications in the fashion industry. They use debondable adhesives and primers that provide strong bonding during the use-phase; however, once thermally activated, they allow for easy separation – enabling further reuse and recycling of material components.

STONY CREEK COLORS (US) 
Stony Creek Colors creates a plant-based indigo that can replace petrochemical-based synthetic indigo dyes. They optimise indigo production in a (non-GMO) closed loop process which has the potential to be carbon negative. In addition, they are working with small-scale farmers and helping them to switch from tobacco to indigo which can provide them with a more stable income stream and keep prime farmland in agricultural production. 

THE HURD CO (US) 
The Hurd Co engineers fibre pulp made from 100% agricultural waste feedstock to be converted into viscose alternatives.  

TRACELESS (Germany) 
Traceless materials develop home compostable films, rigid materials and coatings that are 100% bio-based, derived from agricultural residues. Because they fully degrade in the environment, products made from Traceless materials can substitute plastics in many products that potentially end up in the environment.


Image: Stony Creek Colors