Material World is a weekly roundup of innovations and ideas within the materials sector, covering news from emerging biomaterials and alternative leathers to sustainable substitutes and future-proof fibers.
Sheep Inc.
After two years of research and development—and after securing roughly $6.3 million in Series A funding—Edzard van der Wyck and Michael Wessely’s Sheep Inc. brand has launched Fibregen: a 100 percent biodegradable, three-layer natural blend of regenerative cotton and Merino wool.
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Developed in collaboration with Portugal’s Inovafil over 18 months, the resulting material features two outer layers of regenerative cotton, “offering structure and softness.” Meanwhile, the non-dyed Merino wool core adapts to the wearer’s body temperature to regulate and balance comfort.
The material’s cotton is sourced from the regenerative farming initiative Good Earth Cotton. Thanks to FibreTrace’s technology, Fibregen is traceable from “farm to finish,” too. The collection debuted with various unisex hoodies and sweatshirts in five “nature-inspired” colorways.
“Fibregen represents a new era in textile design—one that pairs radical comfort with regenerative impact,” Sheep Inc. said. “Light, breathable and impossibly soft, it redefines what it means to feel good in your clothes—and feel good about them too.”
Södra
Södra’s first quarter of 2025 delivered stable results given market conditions and aligned with the Swedish pulp producer’s expectations.
Södra Group’s net sales reached roughly $851,650 (8,154 million Swedish krona), up 7 percent compared year-over-year. Operating profit totaled about $41 million for the period, down nearly 23 percent against last year’s $53 million. Profits are down, though the forest-owner association said it lost around $17 million from the krona’s changing currency exchange rate. Return on capital employed—aka how well Södra is spending money to make money—hit 10 percent, up from last year’s 7 percent. The group’s equity ratio, meanwhile, reached 61 percent.
“Södra delivered a stable result in the first quarter, providing a foundation for 2025 that we will carry forward,” said Södra’s president and CEO, Lotta Lyrå. “Every day we are focused on what we ourselves can influence and what is more important than ever—to improve our efficiency, productivity and cost-awareness.”
The year’s first quarter was marked by growing concern over unpredictable political ping-pong tournaments. Even though Södra said it doesn’t rely heavily on the U.S. market, tariffs can have ripple effects beyond American borders. To that end, Södra said it “built up strong flexibility by being active across multiple markets,” allowing the group to assess and adapt.
“In this situation, a clear direction in both business and leadership is more important than ever; that we work together on what we can influence ourselves,” said Lyrå. “For Södra—which serves as the bridge between forest estates and consumers all over the world—dialogue and proximity to members, customers and consumers becomes even more important.”
Following the changing wood supply levels in Götaland, Södra said it focused on enhancing efficiency at its sawmills. Considering the long-term raw material shortage, Södra launched efforts throughout the value chain and also debuted a comprehensive business offer for forest owners, including the “Highest Price, 60 Days” and “Forest Owner Agreement” initiatives.
The group’s five business areas include Södra Skog, Södra Wood, Södra Cell, Södra Building Systems and Södra Bioproducts. Sales were down in all three of the group’s major business areas, primarily attributed to “higher volumes and good cost control.”
Following low harvests and an unstable market, the Södra Skog branch—covering forestry services for the group’s 51,000-plus members—saw operating profit totaling around $3.45 million for the period. Södra also announced that the decision to divest its forest holding in the Baltics was made during the first quarter.
“We are not in a hurry with this process, we are more interested in ensuring a good deal,” said Peter Karlsson, president of the Södra Skog business area. “Until we find the right buyer, we will continue to manage the forest in the best way to safeguard Södra’s financial investment.”
In the Södra Wood business area—covering timber and lumber services—operating profit totaled around $1.46 million, down from a profit of $543,000. Södra said the decline was due to higher raw materials costs and the timber market’s demand dropping following the construction market’s weakening demand. The Södra Building Systems business area—covering sustainable, wood-based construction services—was cited for similar reasons, as its operating loss for the period totaled about $3.87 million.
“High raw material prices are positive for members but continue to pose a challenge for the group’s industrial operations,” said Lyrå. “The strengthening of the [Swedish krona] against the [United States dollar] has a major impact on Södra, which is also reflected in the quarter’s results.”
The Södra Cell business area—covering the pulp division—performed the best of the three, though profits were down nonetheless. Operating profit totaled about $59.2 million, down by approximately 31 percent YoY. Operating profit for the Södra Bioproducts business area is included in other business areas, with the area’s sales for the period amounted to around $130,450—down nearly 4 percent following last year’s $125,650.
Nordic Credit Rating upgraded Södra’s credit rating from BBB to BBB+ during the quarter as well.
“This is proof that our balance sheet and financial position are moving in the right direction, both now and in the future,” said CFO Magnus Örnberg. “The long-term process to develop our industrial portfolio, secure our efficiency and take new steps through digitization is yielding results. Quite simply, Södra stands very stable, without any risk of standing still.”
Beymen x Gozen
Gozen’s leather alternative is ready to scale, the biotechnology materials company said, while announcing its partnership with Beymen, a chain of luxury department stores in Istanbul, on a biobased dress made with the Balenciaga supplier’s Lunaform.
“Collaborating closely with Beymen here in Turkey felt completely natural,” said Ece Gozen, the San Francisco startup’s founder. “We both share a deep passion for craft, experimentation and exploring new forms of expression.”
Free of plastic and animal inputs, the Istanbul-based startup’s leather alternative is made by microorganisms during the fermentation production process at Gozen’s recently opened facility in Istanbul. That process uses Gozen’s proprietary BioCraft technology. That tech (among other things) ensures (per SGS testing) that, in less than two weeks, the resulting Lunaform outperforms animal skins in strength while delivering the drape du jour.
“This was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate once again that Lunaform isn’t only a vision of tomorrow; it’s a material reality today, unlocking entirely new possibilities for progressive design,” said Gozen. “This collaboration underlines our goal of bringing biomaterials into mainstream fashion making innovation ready to wear—and ready to scale.”
As part of the Beymen Group (owned by the Qatari investment fund Mayhoola for Investments), Beymen is “Turkey’s only digital luxury platform” and “the undisputed market leader in luxury clothing and footwear sales with an online market share of 79 percent in Turkey, which is growing very fast.”
FyterTech Nonwovens
Sorbent industry player FyterTech Nonwovens has upgraded its Sustayn product line.
“The Sustayn line offers a credible, third party-tested solution that helps organizations demonstrate progress toward their ESG targets,” said Christin Wam, vice president of marketing and new market development at FyterTech. “We’ve invested in the innovation, testing and in-house capability required to produce these products in our Wisconsin facility so we can provide a meaningful solution while being cognizant of the environmental impact.”
Already featuring 90 percent recycled content, the line now includes “advanced biodegradation acceleration technology” that degrades three times faster than standard melt-blown absorbent pads over the same time frame, as validated by a third-party lab under ASTM D5511 testing conditions simulating anaerobic landfill environments.
“The addition of the biodegradable accelerant further reduces long-term environmental impact without compromising product durability or absorbency,” said Sanjay Wahal, senior vice president of technology, innovation and quality at FyterTech. “This innovation reinforces our commitment to delivering functional products with measurable sustainability benefits.”
ER Ocean Recherche
French artist and designer Eugène Riconneaus has dropped two “marine-derived materials” while debuting this ER Ocean Recherche project. The biomass-made “SeiShell” leather alternative and “SeiYarn” fiber yarn are the research and development center’s inaugural sea-sourced solutions.
“The path to change is marked by mistakes. I have no guilt for daring to try,” Riconneaus said. “The job of designers has changed. I now design in microns: to think big, we need to start extra small.”
