Latest news with #ModernMeadow
Auto Express
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Luxury Mercedes ‘leather' made from old tyres is great news for the planet, and cows
Mercedes has developed a way to upcycle used GT3 race car tyres and turn them into a luxurious leather alternative, taking the idea of motorsport DNA running through its road cars to another level. The cowhide replacement, which has been given the catchy name 'Labfiber Biotech Leather Alternative', was developed by Mercedes and American start-up, Modern Meadow. It was one of many innovations featured in the AMG GT XX concept, but the two companies are working together to put it into production cars soon. The process starts by recycling the spent tyres, breaking them down into granules, then combining those with biomethane from agricultural waste to create pyrolysis oil. This is then turned into plastic microfibres used to create the new textile. Advertisement - Article continues below It's not until this textile gets treated with vegetable proteins and bio-based polymers that it starts to resemble leather. And unlike artificial leather, Mercedes says its alternative properly mimics the structure of genuine cowhide, and can go through the same tanning processes to create something that looks and feels remarkably close to the real thing. We can attest to that, as we got to examine samples of Labfiber ourselves during the reveal of the AMG GT XX. The material used in the concept was made from tyres fresh off AMG GT3 customer racing cars. One scrap tyre provides the basis for around four square metres of Labfiber. The company also says Labfiber can be produced with different surface finishes to resemble nubuck leather, full-grain leather or suede. It can also be created in a variety of colours and textures. Plus, it's twice as strong as genuine leather, is waterproof and, because of low thermal conductivity, doesn't get too hot in the summer. As you probably guessed, turning a tyre into leather is not the quickest process, with the most time-consuming element being chemical processing to create the raw textile. However, Mercedes' material experts tell us that it actually takes about as long as the tanning process for genuine leather. Exactly when Mercedes will start offering customers Labfiber as an alternative to traditional leather for their cars is still unclear. Perhaps it'll be ready to feature in the production version of the AMG GT XX, which will be revealed next year, with the goal of toppling the Porsche Taycan. Buy a car with Auto Express. Our nationwide dealer network has some fantastic cars on offer right now with new, used and leasing deals to choose from...
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Material World: Circ Secures 5-Year Partner, Sodra's Tannin Arms Call
Material World is a weekly roundup of innovations and ideas within the materials sector, covering news from emerging biomaterials and alternative leathers to sustainable substitutes and future-proof fibers. Textile-to-textile recycler Circ has entered a long-term partnership with Acegreen Eco-Material Technology Co., a producer of cellulose filament products, to establish a commercial agreement to accelerate the textile industry's adoption of circular materials. More from Sourcing Journal Can Plants Replace Petroleum? Biobased Nylon Innovators Say Yes MAS-Holdings' Twinery is an 'Innovation Powerhouse' for Textile Technologies Suzano Backs Simplifyber as Spinnova Signals a Scale Back Acegreen committed to purchasing Circ's recycled pulp and polyester as part of their strategic partnership. 'Acegreen was one of the first to work with us, and they've played an important role in advancing our technology and bringing it to market,' said Peter Majeranowski, CEO of Circ. 'They've integrated our recycled pulp and polyester into their filament production and are helping demonstrate how next-gen materials can scale. Their ability to move quickly and adapt is a great example of how great partners can accelerate real progress toward circularity.' The agreement stipulates that Acegreen committed to purchase Circ's pulp over five years from Circ's first commercial-scale facility, which secured $25 million last month during an oversubscribed funding round led by Taranis. The recycled pulp will be used to produce pre-specified lyocell fibers, which brands can integrate into their supply chains. Additionally, Acegreen's parent company, Acelon, committed to procuring Circ Polyester over the same five-year period to 'support polyester filament production,' the partners said, and 'further diversify the application' of Circ's recycled offerings. 'This collaboration reflects our deep commitment to advancing sustainable fiber production and contributing to the future of a circular textile economy,' said Roger Chou, CEO of Acegreen. 'By working alongside Circ, we are not only securing a steady supply of innovative recycled materials but also reinforcing our dedication to reducing waste and promoting resource efficiency in the textile industry.' Sustainable materials company Modern Meadow has partnered with carry brand Bellroy. The Australian B Corp will feature Modern Meadow's Innovera biomaterial (formerly known as Bio-Vera) to produce select products. 'We create biomaterials that help companies like Bellroy bring high-quality, sustainable products to market,' said David Williamson, CEO of Modern Meadow. 'By incorporating Innovera into accessories, Bellroy can offer carry products that are beautiful, functional and better for the planet. Given its durability, Innovera's particularly well-suited for high-wear applications.' Engineered with plant-based proteins, biopolymers and post-consumer waste, Innovera features 80 percent renewable carbon content with twice the strength as traditional leather. The recyclable material mimics the look and feel of collagen within animal leather in various colors, haptics and finishes, Modern Meadow said. 'We're committed to supporting materials that have potential to solve very real environmental issues, without causing negative impacts elsewhere,' said Bellroy co-founder, Andy Fallshaw. 'We believe Innovera helps mitigate important waste streams and exceeds traditional leathers in many tangible performance aspects. From improved durability to highly tunable aesthetic and tactile traits, we're excited to bring this compelling material to customers worldwide.' Under Armour and Unless Collective shared the stage in Italy this week to drop a regenerative sportswear collection. 'As a brand that has consistently disrupted the industry, we are prepared to do it again,' said Eric Liedtke, Under Armour's brand president (and founder of Unless Collective). 'Our unique and innovative approach represents a significant shift from the traditional production cycle, which often relies heavily on plastics and generates waste.' Following the Neolast developer's acquisition of Unless Collective last August, the two brands hard-launched at Milan Design Week's Fuorisalone, the annual event's decentralized exhibitions throughout the country's moral capital. The resulting Under Armour x Unless collection marks the first collaboration between the pair. 'Regenerative design isn't a limitation—it's an evolution,' said Tara Moss, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Unless Collective. 'People want to look good, feel good and do good for the planet. We're proving that you don't have to choose between high design, high quality, and high impact. The future of sportswear is culture-driven, design-forward, and created for those who care about fashion and the planet's future.' Designed for movement and meant to return to the planet, the regenerative collection features basics, like hoodies and T-shirts, for $30-$160. 'By using only plant-based materials, this regenerative sportswear collection is designed to decompose rather than pollute,' Liedtke said. 'Representing a revolutionary advancement in reimagining the future of product creation in our industry, with an innovative commitment that honors both athletes and the planet.' Sanko Group's circular venture Re&Up Recycling Technologies has partnered with Marchi & Fildi to co-develop a 'new generation' of recycled cotton yarns. The strategic collaborators, still at the pre-industrial stage, will combine the former's textile-to-textile recycling technology with the latter's yarn development and manufacturing expertise. 'Partnering with Marchi & Fildi means joining forces with a company that shares our commitment to quality, innovation and circular transformation,' said Marco Lucietti, head of global marketing and communications at Re&Up. 'This collaboration allows us to push the boundaries of what's possible with recycled cotton fibers and move one step closer to making next-gen yarns a scalable reality for the entire industry.' As the project is working to 'reach all levels of the textile value chain,' the recycled cotton fibers used will be sourced from Re&Up's integrated process that turns post-consumer waste into raw materials ready for industrial use. By merging recycling technology with yarn development, the companies hope to 'lay the groundwork' for scalable solutions applicable across the value chain. 'The evolution of our yarns from recycled fibers requires continuous investment in technical expertise and advanced technologies,' said Alberto Grosso, business development manager of Marchi & Fildi Group. 'What truly makes the difference are synergies with partners like Re&Up, who share our vision of quality and circularity, opening new opportunities for joint development.' As Södra works to add tannin to its range of forest-based products, the Swedish pulp producer is seeking partners to develop novel polyphenol-based sustainable alternatives to fossil products across various applications. The call to arms follows Södra's investment into a production line creating vegetable tanning agent from bark at its Värö facility in Sweden. Ideally, this new tannin—tapping tree bark for the polyphenol oligomers and polymers present in plant tissues—can be used to process leather in a more environmentally friendly way, the OnceMore developer said, with the capacity to produce 'millions of square meters' of leather. 'Now is the time to unite and maximize the potential of every tree, exploring innovative applications for tannin collaboratively,' said Viktor Odenbrink, sales director for Södra Bioproducts. 'Together, we can develop fossil-free products and contribute to a more sustainable future.' While 'using bark for tanning is not new,' the industrialization of this process—aka when the 'tanning substance is extracted from the bark and transformed into a product for tanning leather,' per Södra—is, which is why the forest-owner association is 'open to possible new markets where this sustainable tannin could be used to do good,' within or outside of the leather industry. Italian footwear brand P448 launched its third invasive fish leather capsule with the bluestripe snapper, known locally in Hawaii by its Tahitian name, ta'ape). Under the brand's 'Project Sustainability' umbrella, the Spring 2025 collection follows previous invasive fish drops (including the lionfish and carp) working to bring awareness to the harm the species poses to Hawaii's ecosystems. 'We see using the skins of invasive species in our footwear as an opportunity to help prevent future environmental degradation, while repurposing existing resources and replacing other materials in the process,' said Wayne Kulkin, CEO of P448. In partnership with environmental nonprofit Conservation International, P448 sourced 2,000 bluestripe snapper skins from the island of Molokai for the collection, which builds off the Ta'ape Project. This earlier effort—launched in 2020 by Conservation International Hawaii with local nonprofit Chef Hui—works to encourage consumption of the invasive reef fish to support the local economy, improve the island's food security and reduce the species' environmental impact, P448 said. 'Throughout the globe, climate change is expected to exacerbate the impacts of invasive species. We need to be developing solutions to address this challenge while meeting other growing needs such as food security and community resilience,' said Matt Ramsey, senior director of Conservation International's Hawaii program. 'By removing ta'ape, the initiative benefits Hawaii's native marine life, feeds communities, and supports the local economy. Additionally with the lack of government-led programs to tackle the challenge of ta'ape, this initiative directly addresses these gaps.'
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TômTex and Modern Meadow Dive Into the Future of Alternative Materials
Material innovation continues to bring forth more sustainable alternatives for some traditional materials, like polyester, nylon or leather. Ross McBee, co-founder and chief strategy officer of TômTex, and David Williamson, CEO of Modern Meadow, joined Alexandra Harrell, sustainability & innovation reporter at Sourcing Journal, in New York City for the Sourcing Journal Sustainability Summit to discuss the opportunities and challenges that exist along the path to the future of alternative materials. More from Sourcing Journal Inside Gen Z's Sustainability Conundrum Material World: Lubay Takes the Leap, BioFabricate's Call to Action Coach and Gen Phoenix Talk Circularity and Partnership Modern Meadow and TômTex both make leather alternatives, and Williamson and McBee said that their respective companies have already been able to solve one of the most major hurdles plaguing some material innovation pioneers: adaptability. That is to say, the ability for the materials made to be integrated into existing supply chains, without extra equipment. For Williamson, that differentiator has been paramount to Modern Meadow's value proposition. 'By having a material that has the same chemistry and functionality that the leather industry is familiar with, it allows them to basically take this material and drop it directly into their tanning and retaining processes,' Williamson said. TômTex, which uses shellfish and mushrooms as the base of its leather alternatives, said making it easier on manufacturers has remained a goal for the startup, which was honored by Time for creating one of its best inventions in 2024. 'We worked really hard to make sure that none of the processes that we do are unfamiliar to people—like all the production processes are things that can happen on existing textile equipment,' McBee told Harrell. But ease of use isn't the only supply chain consideration potential clients have taken an interest in, McBee noted. They also want to better understand where the materials are sourced—particularly in the face of geopolitical and economic uncertainties. As President Donald Trump's tariff regime rages on, supply chain professionals have prioritized further diversifying their sourcing hubs. Because TômTex focuses on alternative leather, which requires a sequence of fewer processes than spun or woven alternative materials, McBee said its supply chain is fairly transparent. That provides it an advantage when speaking to clients—but it also means those clients can more easily speak to their consumers about sustainability. 'I can tell you quite precisely, quite often, where this material came from, what we did to it and why that's important, why that's valuable,' he said. 'Then, we can help you communicate that to the customer, as well, and be able to provide the transparency that I think a lot of people really are looking for in this space when they think about sustainability, talk about sustainability.' As many brands continue to—or begin to—interface with material innovation companies about introducing novel materials into their collections, sustainability isn't the only consideration anymore, Williamson said. 'Big brands are very interested in having a robust, sustainable material that also helps them meet their 2030, 2035 goals. The smaller brands are really looking for a beautiful, high-performing material that allows them to have a specific marketing narrative,' he said, noting that now, 'Sustainability is viewed as a feature to the material, not the driving reason they're adopting.' For that reason, both McBee and Williamson said alternative materials need to have an attractive consumer story attached to them. They also need to have an attractive feel, touch and fit, particularly as brands transition alternative materials into mass market collections, rather than small, trial collections. 'It's a really interesting journey to go from both for us…to go from these sort of capsule collections to being a true industry player, to being an established thing that sort of has its own category, that people know how to think about it, people know where it slots into their larger strategies. I think that's the thing that the space really needs,' McBee said. As Modern Meadow, TômTex and other material innovation companies charge forth, barriers to entry still exist—and both McBee and Williamson said it will be paramount for legislation and consumer sentiment to further encourage the materials' many companies haven't fulfilled the hopes they set out to accomplish when they began working on alternative materials, and brands know that creating such materials can be a tall order. Williamson said, even when material innovation companies bring an excellent product to the table, they still face doubts over whether their sustainable product can create a sustainable business model that can survive in the long term. 'One of the biggest barriers we see for adoption is not, 'Does the material work?' [It's] not, 'Is it attractive and beautiful?' It is, 'Are you going to be here in three years, and is your product going to be here in three years? Am I going to make a bet on you?'' Williamson said. Once brands make bigger bets on companies like TômTex and Modern Meadow, neither McBee nor Williamson anticipate traditional materials—in their cases, leather—will disappear into the abyss. They both know the market has room for both traditional and alternative materials. 'I don't think this field is going to completely displace the long and beautiful history of [leather] or any other textile. I think the way to think about it is that these materials become part of the conversation, become part of the things that people understand can be in the world, and therefore, they start asking for them more and more and more,' McBee said. But what Williamson believes alternative material companies can provide that traditional materials cannot is a high degree of flexibility. 'The cow can only innovate so much,' Williamson joked. 'We can continue to engineer and innovate inside of our material, probably into perpetuity.' Sign in to access your portfolio
Associated Press
10-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Modern Meadow's Exhibit at Lineapelle 2025 to Feature New Products and Colors of its Renewable and Recyclable Biomaterial
Modern Meadow's booth to offer brands and tanneries a scalable, luxurious, high performing leather alternative in Hall 9 at Booth D02-04 Lineapelle, an international exhibition of leather, accessories, components, fabrics, synthetics and models, to be held in Rho-Milan, Italy, February 25-27 NUTLEY, N.J., Feb. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Modern Meadow, a leader in sustainable materials, today announced that it will be exhibiting at the Lineapelle 2025 show in the Fiera Milano Rho Center. The company will showcase its new BIO-VERA® products and colors made with more than 80% renewable carbon content. As an exhibitor in Hall 9 at Booth D02-04, Modern Meadow will display finished goods such as new models of shoulder bags, pouches, footwear and accessories. It will also feature new colors of suede swatches in camel, navy blue, taupe and forest green, as well as full grain swatches in white perforated and chestnut brown. 'Our participation at Lineapelle is an opportunity for brands and tanneries to experience the look and feel of BIO-VERA® first-hand,' said David Williamson, PhD, CEO of Modern Meadow. 'This transformative material is beautiful, stronger and lighter than traditional materials as it is created using our revolutionary miscible blend of plant-based proteins, biopolymers and post-consumer waste that maximize performance and sustainability at the molecular level.' This biomaterial is a novel, sustainable, animal-free material that combines the precision and performance of man-made material and retains the features for creativity found in traditional finishing processes. It requires no special preservation or storage conditions, which reduces complexity and costs, and it has scalable adoption. Modern Meadow has the capability to commercially produce more than 500,000 square meters per year of this material, making it readily available to customers and simplifying existing supply chain issues. It can easily integrate into and shorten existing production processes and allows designers and leather experts to produce bespoke materials for products across the furniture, automotive, apparel and fashion accessories industries. Dr. Williamson continued, 'We encourage Lineapelle participants to stop by our booth to learn how our leather alternative is inspired by nature, innovative by design and could be used in their luxury goods.' About Modern Meadow Founded in 2011 and based in Nutley, New Jersey, Modern Meadow designs innovative biomaterials inspired by nature. Its products, crafted with over 80% renewable carbon content using a novel hybrid material made of plant proteins and biobased polymers, are sustainable, stronger and lighter than traditional materials. Modern Meadow reduces reliance on oil-based and animal products without sacrificing quality. Its materials integrate seamlessly into existing production processes in the automotive, footwear, furniture and fashion industries. Collaborating with top brands like Tory Burch and industry leaders such as BASF, Bader and ISA TanTec, Modern Meadow ensures high-quality, fully traceable products. For more information, visit or follow the company on LinkedIn and Instagram. Jordan Vines
