Simplifyber
Simplifyber
(
Private sector
)
#SDGAction49886
Description
Simplifyber is creating a new category of manufacturing for apparel and shoes using specially-developed plant-based materials. It's a completely new supply chain. Instead of the usual process of starting with fiber, spinning yarn and making rolls of fabric, we take natural fibers and form them directly into soft 3D garments and shoe uppers. Unlike other sustainable innovations currently on the market in the fashion industry, Simplifyber is unique in creating an end-to-end system that is specifically geared towards high efficiency and the mass market, with the end goal of displacing cheap, petroleum-based fabrics and making renewable, biodegradable clothing the most cost-effective (and therefore widely-used) option for clothing manufacturing. Input from customer: garment design Material input: cellulose fibers and non-toxic additives Output: shaped garment/accessory (finished or near-finished) We are replacing: spinning, weaving, patterning, cutting/sewing
Simplifyber has developed a system for forming plant-based fibers (cellulose) directly into 3-dimensional shapes, creating a new category of manufacturing for natural fiber clothing and accessories. Cellulose fibers are bonded together into a shape, or item, rather than sewn together out of flat pieces of cloth. While the process is comparable to injection-molding, the material itself is cottony-feeling and soft. The material is customizable in terms of flexibility, level of biodegradability, strength, texture, surface detail, thickness, color and level of water-resistance. Simplifyber consists of three arms of research and production: plant-based material development, design software and hardware development for automated production. Both our R&D and early pilot-scale production are located in the US.
One of Simplifyber's founding principles is the focus on scale. We've taken inspiration from highly scalable techniques used in other industries, like injection molding for plastics, and adapted those ideas to work with plant-based materials. Simplifyber is in the process of automation and scale-up of our technology and will begin early pilot production later this year, with the ultimate goal of reaching mass production levels within 6 years. The unit economics of our process will already be on par with existing fast fashion production costs even when we are at a level of 10k pieces per style, before we hit full scale. By the time we reach full scale, our prices will dramatically undercut those of polyester-based traditionally-made fast-fashion. This means that for the first time, environmentally-friendly fashion would be cheaper—not more expensive—than the status quo.
Simplifyber is a privately-owned Corporation consisting of a Board of Directors, an Executive Team and a team of employees specializing in chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial design, fashion design and business. We are a multidisciplinary team under the direction of 3 successful and highly-experienced individuals in their own fields. CEO Maria Intscher-Owrang has been a luxury fashion designer for 24 years, working for well-known brands such as Vera Wang, Calvin Klein and Alexander McQueen, among others. Her work has appeared in the covers and pages of the international press for two decades, as well as at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NY. COO Phil Cohen is a former military officer and MIT Sloan-trained serial entrepreneur with 4 companies and 2 successful exits under his belt. CTO Ben Tew is a Harvard/MIT-trained industrial designer and mechanical engineer who has designed not only hardware for fashion tech startup Kniterate, but also projects for Ryobi, Dyson, Coca-Cola, and work exhibited at the V&A in London.
At One Ventures, The W Fund, The Helm, One Small Planet, Jetstream Fund, HG Ventures, Techstars, Plug & Play Venture Group, Refashiond Ventures, North Carolina State University
SDGS & Targets
Goal 9
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
9.1
9.1.1
Proportion of the rural population who live within 2 km of an all-season road
9.1.2
Passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport
9.2
Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries
9.2.1
Manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP and per capita
9.2.2
Manufacturing employment as a proportion of total employment
9.3
9.3.1
Proportion of small-scale industries in total industry value added
9.3.2
Proportion of small-scale industries with a loan or line of credit
9.4
By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities
9.4.1
CO2 emission per unit of value added
9.5
9.5.1
Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP
9.5.2
Researchers (in full-time equivalent) per million inhabitants
9.a
9.a.1
Total official international support (official development assistance plus other official flows) to infrastructure
9.b
9.b.1
Proportion of medium and high-tech industry value added in total value added
9.c
Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020
9.c.1
Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology
Goal 12
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
12.1
Implement the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, all countries taking action, with developed countries taking the lead, taking into account the development and capabilities of developing countries
12.1.1
Number of countries developing, adopting or implementing policy instruments aimed at supporting the shift to sustainable consumption and production
12.2
By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
12.2.1
Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
12.2.2
Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP
12.3
By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses
12.3.1
(a) Food loss index and (b) food waste index
12.4
By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment
12.4.1
12.4.2
(a) Hazardous waste generated per capita; and (b) proportion of hazardous waste treated, by type of treatment
12.5
By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
12.5.1
National recycling rate, tons of material recycled
12.6
Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle
12.6.1
12.7
Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities
12.7.1
Number of countries implementing sustainable public procurement policies and action plans
12.8
By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
12.8.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
12.a
Support developing countries to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production
12.a.1
Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing and developed countries (in watts per capita)
12.b
Develop and implement tools to monitor sustainable development impacts for sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
12.b.1
Implementation of standard accounting tools to monitor the economic and environmental aspects of tourism sustainability
12.c
Rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities
12.c.1
Amount of fossil-fuel subsidies (production and consumption) per unit of GDP
Goal 13
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
13.1
Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries
13.1.1
Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
13.1.2
Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030
13.1.3
Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies
13.2
Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
13.2.1
Number of countries with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
13.2.2
Total greenhouse gas emissions per year
13.3
Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
13.3.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
13.a
Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible
13.a.1
Amounts provided and mobilized in United States dollars per year in relation to the continued existing collective mobilization goal of the $100 billion commitment through to 2025
13.b
Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities
13.b.1
Number of least developed countries and small island developing States with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Goal 15
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
15.1
By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements
15.1.1
15.1.2
15.2
By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
15.2.1
15.3
By 2030, combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world
15.3.1
15.4
By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development
15.4.1
15.4.2
15.5
Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species
15.5.1
15.6
Promote fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and promote appropriate access to such resources, as internationally agreed
15.6.1
15.7
Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna and address both demand and supply of illegal wildlife products
15.7.1
15.8
By 2020, introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species
15.8.1
15.9
By 2020, integrate ecosystem and biodiversity values into national and local planning, development processes, poverty reduction strategies and accounts
15.9.1
(a) Number of countries that have established national targets in accordance with or similar to Aichi Biodiversity Target 2 of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 in their national biodiversity strategy and action plans and the progress reported towards these targets; and (b) integration of biodiversity into national accounting and reporting systems, defined as implementation of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting
15.a
Mobilize and significantly increase financial resources from all sources to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity and ecosystems
15.a.1
(a) Official development assistance on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; and (b) revenue generated and finance mobilized from biodiversity-relevant economic instruments
15.b
Mobilize significant resources from all sources and at all levels to finance sustainable forest management and provide adequate incentives to developing countries to advance such management, including for conservation and reforestation
15.b.1
(a) Official development assistance on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity; and (b) revenue generated and finance mobilized from biodiversity-relevant economic instruments
15.c
Enhance global support for efforts to combat poaching and trafficking of protected species, including by increasing the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities
15.c.1
SDG 14 targets covered
| Name | Description |
|---|
Deliverables & Timeline
3 x brand partners piloting Simplifyber tech (plant-based materials + 3D forming process)
First Simplifyber plant-based products hit the market (Pilot Stage)
Simplifyber scales production to mid-market level (up to 30k items per batch)
Simplifyber production capability reaches mass scale (up to 1 million items per batch)
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
Feedback
Action Network
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Timeline
Entity
Region
- North America
- Global
Geographical coverage
Other beneficiaries
Simplifyber's goal is to bring the global fashion industry into the 21st century, making it more efficient, circular, less resource intensive, and less reliant on petrochemicals. If this is achieved, we will all benefit.
More information
Countries
Contact Information
Maria Intscher-Owrang, CEO