A regulatory barrier has been cleared for a new class of circular material that could eventually reach branded apparel.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has approved renoa, a “first-of-its-kind” regenerated fiber, signifying the first new apparel fiber classification approved by the agency in almost 25 years.
The approval paves the way for textile products containing renoa to be labeled and sold in the United States, which could eventually give branded merchandise companies something they’ve been looking for – a material that combines a compelling sustainability story with the premium feel end users demand.
AI Plays Integral Role
Developed in Everbloom’s New York City lab, renoa is the world’s first fiber regenerated from keratin-rich textile offcuts and waste, including down, according to the materials technology company.
“The global fiber market is more than a $1 trillion industry and has run on the same fossil-based chemistry for half a century, while most of the manufacturing base has moved to Asia,” says Simardev Gulati, co-founder and CEO of Everbloom.
“By combining our proprietary AI platform, Braid.AI, with advanced manufacturing, we’ve created an entirely new category of fiber and a real chance to rebuild America’s textile base around it.”
Elizabeth Wimbush, CAS
Director of Sustainability & Responsibility, PPAI
Braid.AI predicts how each protein stream will behave during production, enabling the firm to optimize production parameters before manufacturing begins. As a result, two months of laboratory testing is reduced to just two weeks, Everbloom says.
Those AI-driven insights are then translated into Everbloom’s patented production process, which begins by purifying and refining keratin-rich textile waste into its purest protein form. Through advanced engineering, those proteins are structurally enhanced and transformed into high-performance fibers compatible with existing yarn-spinning infrastructure and textile supply chains, the firm says.
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“Renoa is the result of years of work by our material and computer scientists, chemical engineers and fashion designers to craft a circular fiber that combines the best of biology and human ingenuity to optimize hand-feel and performance while dropping seamlessly into existing industrial infrastructure,” Gulati says.
Scalability Concern
The fashion industry accounts for roughly 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to United Nations Climate Change. By transforming keratin-rich textile waste into high-performance fibers, renoa offers brands an alternative to resource-intensive raw materials, Everbloom says.
- Renoa uses more than 99% less water than silk production, 50% less than cashmere production and 30% less than wool production, according to independent assessments by Boundless Impact Research & Analytics.
- Renoa also generates up to 92% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than bio-recycled polyester, silk, cashmere and wool.
“The ability to produce onshore apparel fiber with such a reduced footprint, from waste, is a massive opportunity for our industry to positively contribute to advancing technologies and companies using them to reduce environmental footprint,” says Elizabeth Wimbush, CAS, director of sustainability and responsibility at PPAI.
Natalie Soto
Director of Sustainability, Hit Promotional Products
With most fabric suppliers based overseas, a domestically made option like renoa – with both the raw material and the manufacturing based in the U.S. – has the potential to reshape the industry’s apparel supply chain, according to Natalie Soto, director of sustainability at Hit Promotional Products, PPAI 100’s No. 3 supplier.
“The potential benefits could include a boost to the U.S. economy and a lower carbon footprint for suppliers and distributors,” Soto says. “It’s well known that shipping and operations use fuel and energy that add carbon to the atmosphere. Less well known is that making the products themselves creates the largest share of emissions. So, a move toward domestic sourcing would lead to real, broad emissions savings.”
Soto adds that only a small portion of keratin waste is reused today. Considering that renoa turns that waste into a usable resource, the FTC approval is an important step for waste reduction in the U.S.
“I’m excited to see Everbloom scale this up,” Soto says. “It’s the kind of innovation our industry needs more of.”
Ron Hawk
VP of Sales, UltraCycle
While it’s an exciting sustainability breakthrough in the U.S., the price point for brands and mills to purchase it is concerning to Ron Hawk, vice president of sales at business services provider UltraCycle, which specializes in recycling all types of textiles, apparel and hard goods.
“Asia produces almost all clothing and fibers because of the inexpensive cost to manufacturers and brands,” Hawk says. “If the cost can compete or be close, this will scale. If the cost can’t compete or be close, it’ll take time for brands to adopt it. Currently available circular fibers are costly compared to virgin fibers or even recycled polyester inputs.
“This will improve with time, but we aren’t there yet.”
