Material Innovation Initiative news and archive

Material Innovation Initiative to wind down operations

Material Innovation Initiative (MII) has informed stakeholders that it has made the decision to wind down its operations. In a letter from the organisation’s directors it was stated that the move, made by the board of directors and the executive leadership team, comes following “thorough evaluation and much deliberation”. Since its founding in...

Fashion Featured

Report shines light on next-gen fur, posing the question 'What makes Fur, Fur?'

One of the earliest animal-based materials used by humans to make garments, fur has long been the source of debate within the fashion industry. Praised for its exceptional warmth, durability, and softness, the reality behind fur farming and the ethics surrounding its production have been under scrutiny for decades. As animal-rights organizations...

Fashion Featured

Brands flock to next-gen materials, new report shows

It’s been some years since the sparkly promise of pineapple leather and the like first sprouted in our news feeds, so what’s happening now with the innovation of next-gen materials? Quite a lot, it turns out. The Material Innovation Initiative's (MII) new report "Brand Engagement with Next-Gen Materials 2023" spotlights a surge in collaborations...

Business

New report explores how next-gen silk could disrupt the materials industry

Nonprofit think tank Material Innovation Initiative (MII) has published a report titled “What Makes Silk, Silk? Revisited 2023”, which explores silk’s unique properties and highlights key opportunities and challenges to inspire a new generation of scientists and entrepreneurs to develop high performance, luxurious and sustainable next-gen silk...

FairsFeatured

"We need these innovators and they need us": Highlights from the 2023 Material Innovation Conference

The Material Innovation Conference is an annual summit held virtually that invites textile industry figureheads from big business to startups to explore and assess the past, present, and future growth of sustainably-driven innovations. Organised in part by Material Innovation Initiative co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Nicole Rawling,...

BusinessFeatured

Investments in next generation materials on the rise according to Material Innovation Initiative

A new State of the Industry report by the Material Innovation Initiative (MII) has stated that interest in next generation materials is continuing to grow, after it found that investments in the sector have risen to over 2.3 billion dollars since 2015. Next generation materials, or ‘Next-Gen’, provide brands with animal-friendly alternatives to...

Fashion Featured

5 Next Generation Materials and how brands are using them

As consumers continue to look towards more sustainable alternatives to synthetics and animal-based materials, new breeds of fibre have been continuing to make a mark on the industry. A new report released by the Material Innovation Initiative (MII), Brand Engagement with Next-Gen Materials: 2022 Landscape, has detailed the most important and...

BusinessPartner Content

MII Launches Virtual Material Innovation Conference May 18 & 19

Forager, MycoWorks, VitroLabs, Modern Meadow, NFW, Everlane and others partner with MII for the inaugural gathering of industry experts discussing the future of the material sectors To support the development and adoption of next-gen materials, the Material Innovation Initiative is launching the inaugural Material Innovation Conference. This...

Business

New report highlights opportunities for next-gen sustainable materials

A new report titled “White Space Analysis 2021” by The Material Innovation Initiative (MII) - an accelerator of the development of next generation sustainable materials for the fashion, automotive and home goods industries - and investor and ecosystem builder The Mills Fabrica has identified next-gen materials that are set to follow alternative...

BusinessFeatured

New Research Shows 90% of Chinese Consumers Surveyed Prefer Leather Alternatives Over Animal Leather

With nearly 20 percent of the world’s population and a fashion industry revenue expected to be 383 billion USD in 2021, or 44 percent of the global total, China offers incredible opportunities to those looking to invest in its rapidly growing markets. Not only are these markets growing quickly, but they are full of consumers that are evermore...

BusinessFeatured

Starting at the Start for Sustainable Fashion: The Argument for Focusing on Raw Materials

By now, anyone who’s paying attention to the fashion industry knows that we have an urgent sustainability problem on our hands. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, if we stay on our current path, the fashion industry alone will take up a quarter of the entire world’s carbon budget by 2050. To avert climate catastrophe, we’re going to...

Fashion Featured

How material innovation can change the fashion industry

The fashion industry is aware of the problems caused by some of the most commonly used fabrics and fibers - particularly those derived from animals. Groups such as PETA and the Humane Society of the United States have campaigned against animal-based materials for decades, promoting several brands and retailers to boycott harmful fabrics such as...