Simplifyber turns wood waste into uppers
12/07/2024
Simplifyber's Maria Intscher-Owrang worked as a high-end fashion designer for more than 20 years, but wasn’t happy with the level of impact she could have and wanted to “shake up the system”.
She told footwearbiz: “I wanted to find a way to make natural fibres cost competitive, so this system shortens the supply chain so that it’s more efficient and more automated, and that cuts the cost of the manufacturing.
"We use the materials when they’re at the beginning of the supply chain, so they’re the cheapest they’ll be. That combination makes our unit economics work better than plastic when you hit the thousands of products. Even taking into account the cost of moulds and tooling, it becomes cheaper. I really think that’s the only way we’re going to change the industry.”
Simplifyber’s slurry is predominantly composed of wood fibres and wood pulp – from certified forests or waste paper – but other inputs can include waste wool, agricultural waste and hemp.
The company works with footwear factories and sole suppliers near its base in North Carolina, US, to offer a full shoe. The uppers can be coated with various finishes to make them durable and waterproof.
It aims to provide its slurry and machinery to manufacturers globally, so local supply chains can be set up and use waste from different industries to create the upper.
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