“Do you possess groundbreaking ideas for converting textile waste into valuable uses for a more sustainable future?”
That’s the pitch for this year’s Mills Fabrica Innovation Challenge, a global competition by the London and Hong Kong-based sustainability innovation platform to suss out the best use for cellulose-based textile waste from upcycling cotton-polyester blended garments, specifically the cotton powder that is among the outputs.
H&M Foundation and the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel, a.k.a. HKRITA, have dabbled in finding a way to leverage the product before. In 2020, they worked with India’s Shahi Exports on a pilot project to see if cotton powder from HKRITA’s “Green Machine” recycling technology could help cotton crops increase water retention. It proved to be a success, increasing yields by 20 percent.
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It’s this out-of-the-box thinking that the Mills Fabrica is looking for with its theme, which it has dubbed “Reimagining Textile Recycling—Unleashing the Potential of Cotton Powder.”
While creating textiles from the material is an obvious solution, it wants to see ideas for cellulose powder that span different industries, such as food, home furnishings, interior design and building materials. Could the cotton dross, for instance, enhance a food product’s nutritional profile? Could it result in eco-friendly upholstery? Or is there the possibility to incorporate it into construction or insulation? “Surprise us with your creative ideas!” the brief says, adding that consideration will be given to “novel ideas, advanced technologies and effective problem-solving capabilities.”
Early-stage innovations with a clear growth strategy, in particular, are welcome, said the Mills Fabrica, which has partnered with an unnamed “renowned” American retail corporation to award the winning idea with $20,000 to take it to the next step. Applications will be accepted through June 30 at themillsfabrica.com, with finalists set to be announced in the first week of September.
The move is a timely one with the ramp-up of textile-to-textile recycling that is mostly focused on producing recycled polyester, which leaves the cotton waste from blended feedstock largely unclaimed. This presents as much of a challenge as it does an opportunity. The Mills Fabrica has plenty of experience incubating startups, too. To date, it has invested in everything from next-gen biomaterial firms such as Colorifix and Huue to circular production companies like Unspun.
