Werewool
(Source: Werewool/Yang Xiao)
Sustainable performance fibers company Werewool has raised US$3.7 million in seed funding led by venture capital companies Material Impact, Boston, MA/USA, and Sofinnova Partners, Paris/France, to further the company’s mission to produce biodegradable fibers with protein-based color and performance properties. The funds will be used to develop the company’s first product, protein fibers that can be spun into yarns, expand manufacturing capabilities, and grow the team.
This investment comes at a time when the textile industry is one of the largest contributors to microplastic pollution. The plastic synthetic fibers used today employ non-biodegradable, harmful plasticizers that accumulate toxic chemicals, impacting biodiversity and human health.
Werewool fibers have the potential to eliminate the need for petroleum-based raw materials, synthetic dyes, and toxic finishing processes that make the textile industry one of the largest contributors to accelerating climate change. Instead of reliance on these conventional methods and materials, the company uses protein structure to create these qualities. The technology is co-patented between the Fashion Institute of Technology and Columbia University, both also based in New York.
Werewool, New York, NY/USA, has been recognized by the fashion industry for their innovation to prevent microfiber pollution and protect the planet. The company has won several awards including the H&M Foundation Global Change Award, the Conservation X Labs’ Microfiber Innovation Challenge, and most recently Elle X Polestar’s Design Toward Zero Award.
»We believe that biology will play an increasingly important role in the future of clothing and are excited to partner with Werewool in their mission to bring sustainable and biodegradable fibers to market.«
This investment comes at a time when the textile industry is one of the largest contributors to microplastic pollution. The plastic synthetic fibers used today employ non-biodegradable, harmful plasticizers that accumulate toxic chemicals, impacting biodiversity and human health.
Werewool fibers have the potential to eliminate the need for petroleum-based raw materials, synthetic dyes, and toxic finishing processes that make the textile industry one of the largest contributors to accelerating climate change. Instead of reliance on these conventional methods and materials, the company uses protein structure to create these qualities. The technology is co-patented between the Fashion Institute of Technology and Columbia University, both also based in New York.
Werewool, New York, NY/USA, has been recognized by the fashion industry for their innovation to prevent microfiber pollution and protect the planet. The company has won several awards including the H&M Foundation Global Change Award, the Conservation X Labs’ Microfiber Innovation Challenge, and most recently Elle X Polestar’s Design Toward Zero Award.
