NEW INNOVATION TO CUT 120,000 TONNES OF MICROFIBRE POLLUTION LAUNCHES AT NEW YORK CLIMATE WEEK

A project, backed by climate tech fund, Regeneration.VC, to cut 120,000 tonnes of microfibre pollution and save millions of kilowatt-hours (KWh) of electricity a year at textile manufacturing sites has launched at New York Climate Week today. 

NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Bristol based Matter and leading textile manufacturer, Paradise Textiles have announced a groundbreaking collaborative project to bring Matter’s Regen.™ for Textile Production to market, a pioneering technology to stop microfibres from textile production from entering waterways.

Regen.™ for Textile Production could reduce carbon emissions by over 2000 tonnes annually per manufacturing site, reduce chemical use, prolong the life of water reuse systems and significantly cut operating costs.

The global fashion industry is responsible for around 120,000 tonnes of pre-consumer microfibre emissions per year, resulting from production, dyeing and washing.

Unveiling Regen.™ for Textile Production during Regeneration.VC’s Annual Meeting in New York, Matter and Paradise Textiles launched a groundbreaking collaborative project to implement the technology at Paradise Textiles’ new state-of-the-art low impact fabric mill in Egypt.

Once operational, it will serve as a showcase for manufacturers and brands around the world to adopt the new filtration device. The two companies say the solution could reduce microfibre pollution across all 150,000 global textile factories.

Powered by Matter’s patented self-cleaning filtration technology Regen.™ for Textile Production is a low energy, low cost microfibre capture solution that offers effective wastewater filtration without the carbon impact.

This announcement builds on the launch of Matter’s successful microfibre filter for home laundry systems with BSH, under the brands Bosch and Siemens.

The British company raised $10 million in their Series A funding round in 2023, and is backed by investors including S2G Ventures, SOUNDwaves, and Regeneration.VC, the climate tech fund backed by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Microfibre shedding is a major contributor to microplastic pollution in water, air, soil and food sources. Scientific studies have revealed alarming evidence that microplastics infiltrate the human body and have been linked to serious health concerns, including cardiovascular issues and chronic conditions. 

Adam Root, Founder and CEO of Matter, said:
“We are delighted to collaborate with Paradise Textiles on this groundbreaking project. It will show the fashion industry that a viable solution to this colossal problem of microplastic pollution is within reach. As this technology scales, there will be no reason and no excuse for letting microfibre pollution continue.”

The collaboration between Matter and Paradise Textiles has been instrumental in advancing Matter’s industrial programme for textile manufacturing.

Leveraging their expertise in textiles and fibre pollution mitigation, Paradise Textiles, part of the Alpine Group, collaborated closely with Matter to explore how this innovation could be adapted and scaled within textile manufacturing, setting the stage for this groundbreaking collaboration.

Over the last 2.5 years, they have provided insights into textile processes, funded early research, and helped shape Matter’s Microfibre Assessment Program (MAP) to establish a service model and maximize fibre capture across Alpine Group’s facilities.

Alpine Group is a major producer of materials and apparel, and manufactures for brands including The North Face, Lululemon, American Eagle Outfitters and Puma. With over 15 facilities worldwide, Alpine represents the breadth of the apparel industry.

Lewis Shuler, Head of Innovation at Paradise Textiles, said: “At Paradise we are committed to collaborating with industry innovators and brands to make a material difference for the future of the fashion and textile industry.”

“Matter’s Microfibre filter presents us with an effective way to reduce the environmental impact of the textile and apparel manufacturing process, whilst also reducing operational costs, which is a real game-changer for the industry.

“We look forward to continuing to drive this exciting project forward and exploring new ways to implement sustainable technologies that can transform the industry at scale.”

For more information about Matter, visit https://matter.industries/.

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SOURCE Matter and Paradise Textiles