sustainable materials

ICTYOS, a French startup, combines traditional tanning techniques with an eco-responsible approach by transforming fish skins from the food industry into high-quality sea leather. The company selects premium fish skins from French agri-food partners and relies on local networks to minimize its carbon footprint and ensure supply traceability. By repurposing skins that would otherwise be discarded, ICTYOS promotes upcycling and utilizes vegetable tannins from leaves, roots, or fruits to minimize the impacts of deforestation.

Ananas Anam is a UK company known for its innovative approach to sustainable materials. The company specializes in Piňatex®, a sustainable alternative to textiles made from pineapple leaf fibers. Piňatex® offers low impact textile solutions that helps brands and industries to reduce their emissions and achieve their climate and sustainability goals. 

NEFFA (New Fashion Factory) is a Dutch startup focused on creating nature-inspired textiles and technologies. The company has developed MYCOTEX®, a biobased material derived from mycelium (mushroom), offering a natural, leather-like feel without attempting to mimic leather directly. The material flexibility and thickness can also be tailored to specific products. Similar to dope dyeing, pigments are added directly into the biomass for efficient coloring.

TheGreen Cell is a scientific research and development company that uses stem cell technology to harness the power of plants through advanced molecular biology and genetics. The company has developed proprietary methods to isolate wild plant stem cells in culture and upscale their growth to commercial levels while preserving their unique properties. Among its products is All in One™, an Aloe stem cell extract that is entirely sustainable and free from artificial ingredients or preservatives.

Eco Safety Products is a company dedicated to developing and manufacturing environmentally friendly building materials and coatings. The product range includes paints, sealers, stains, and adhesives for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. These offerings are characterized by low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), non-toxicity, and safety for both indoor and outdoor use. Sustainability is a core focus, with water-based formulas replacing traditional solvent-based ones to reduce toxicity and flammability.

EcoaTEX is advancing sustainability in the textile industry with its eco-friendly approach to textile coatings, focusing on transforming natural, renewable resources into sustainable fibers, dyes, and leather alternatives. Their innovative technologies—Eco-finishing, Eco-fiber, and Bio-based Alternative Leather—utilize green chemistry and nanotechnology to reduce environmental impact.

Aralez Bio is a biopharmaceutical company pioneering a platform that unlocks an unprecedented range of noncanonical amino acids (also known as unnatural or unusual amino acids). These noncanonical amino acids can modify the properties of biomolecules, allowing for tailored products to meet specific customer needs. They are essential for developing next-generation products with exceptional chemical, biological, and physical properties.

C​​rossing, an innovative startup based in Italy, is developing a new class of “Active Cross-Linking Agents” (ACLs) at competitive prices. ACLs can be applied in various fields due to their unique ability to bind different molecules using a “lock and key” mechanism similar to enzymes. The structures of ACLs are highly adaptable, allowing the creation of a diverse chemical library with varying properties such as activity, speed of action, performance, and industrial applications.

Blueview is a footwear company owned by Algenesis, a material science and technology company intended to manufacture renewable and biodegradable plastic material from algae. Blueview footwear is made with Soleic™ Technology, a high-performance, renewable, and fully biodegradable polyurethane plastic made from plants. The process starts with algae oil and other raw materials from the algae growing partners and other biological sources and converting them into bioplastic at the molecular level in the lab.