GROWING
NEXT GEN
MATERIALS
INSPIRE. CONNECT. INNOVATE. SCALE.
THE
CHALLENGE
Sustainability is more than just a buzzword – it’s a demand. To date, the advancement of sustainable materials has not kept pace with this demand, compromising both environmental and economic goals. Top brands in fashion, automotive, and home goods are searching the globe for innovative, high-performance materials to satisfy this unmet need. Sustainable solutions must be scaled to build a thriving future for brands and the planet.
OUR
FOCUS
The Material Innovation Initiative accelerates the development of high-performance, animal-free, and more sustainable materials for the fashion, automotive, and home goods industries.
MII works to harness the power or markets and technology for good by partnering with brands, scientists, startups, and retailers to bring next-gen materials to market. Our goal is to make the sustainable option the easy option.
SCALING SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION
Technological innovation and untapped natural materials have the potential to transform the materials industry and solve the enormous environmental challenges it faces. MII fast-tracks the introduction of sustainable materials to the marketplace by aligning all key players in the materials ecosystem and supporting innovation in materials science.
While our focus is on animal-based materials, the technologies we support can also be used to solve sustainability challenges associated with petroleum-based materials.
For decades, petroleum has been used to make materials, especially for the fashion and home goods sectors. But these alternative materials require vast improvements to meet sustainability targets.
PETROLEUM-BASED MATERIALS
From pineapple leaves to cactus skin to fruit waste, many novel plant-based solutions are extremely promising, especially to replace animal-based leather. We work to scale these solutions and reduce costs to encourage mass adoption.
PLANT-BASED MATERIALS
Cutting-edge companies are growing silk, leather, and even hair follicles in labs. These innovations, which match animal fibers exactly, will require significant research and development to scale.
LAB-GROWN MATERIALS
THE FACTS
25
percent
10.5
million
80
percent
4
billion
of chemicals produced worldwide are used for textiles, many of which are then dumped into the environment
tons of clothing is sent to landfills each year in the U.S. alone
estimated growth in the animal-free leather industry globally in the next five years
land animals are slaughtered, plucked, or sheared every year for the materials industry
PRIMED FOR
DISRUPTION
Making materials from animals is a resource-intensive and inefficient process rife with supply chain vulnerabilities. Already,
independent think tank RethinkX predicts that next-gen materials will lead to a more than 90% reduction in the demand for conventional leather by 2030.
Now is the time to embrace sustainable innovation, both to create a livable future on Earth and to create a prosperous future for the materials industry.
NEXT GEN
INNOVATORS
These are just a few of the startups transforming the materials industry. Visit our Innovator page to learn more.
