ALGIKNIT, algae-derived textile materials

Today we want to present to you another company that works in the fashion industry in a sustainable way and with a low environmental impact, AlgiKnit, founded by Aaron Nesser, Aleksandra Gosiewski, and Tessa Callaghan. The material solution company creates algae-derived (from Kelp) textile materials as alternatives to widely-used, resource-intensive, and highly-polluting fibers such as polyester. Versatile and scalable, their yarns can be used across the fashion industry, particularly within the fields of footwear, accessories, and garments. Other applications could be integrated into packaging and home furnishings.

The fashion industry produces 10% of the world’s carbon emissions, more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined as of 2019, prior to the pandemic. At this pace, the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions will surge more than 50% by 2030. AlgiKnit is creating eco-conscious, renewable yarns to remediate harmful cycles of fast fashion. Their material is a functional and accessible resource without environmental harm.

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As said before, sustainability is one of the biggest challenges facing the fashion and textile industries. New materials that are non-toxic, biodegradable, cost-competitive, and have mechanical performance similar to synthetic materials, possess the greatest potential to make a positive impact on the environmental footprint of these industries. The key aspect of AlgiKnit’s innovation is the low environmental impact their technology can bring to society.

Taking inspiration from nature, AlgiKnit is committed to promoting a circular material economy and supporting marine ecosystems. Kelp, their raw material, is one of the most rapidly renewable and regenerative resources on the planet. Moreover, the company creates wearable textiles that, when broken down, can act as nutrients for the next generation of AlgiKnit’s materials. They aim to operate in a closed-loop product lifecycle, utilizing materials with drastically lower environmental footprints than conventional agricultural or petroleum-based textiles.

Lately, we have been writing and sharing material design projects and companies. We believe it is necessary to talk about new materials and innovations because, in this way, we can spread these sustainable solutions. The important aspects aren’t only new materials but also companies: actual systems, small circular economies that operate in limited sectors. The union of several similar solutions in the current system (economic, commercial, industrial) may lead to the reduction of many of our problems: among others, raw materials management and waste management.

Visit AlgiKnit to know more about their algae-derived textile materials and follow them on Instagram!

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