This US Tech Company Has a Natural Replacement for Synthetic Fabric

Most of the clothing products used in athletic sportswear rely on synthetic fabrics which are fundamentally plastic. When these clothes are washed, microplastics from these clothes get added to the water which ultimately increases the plastic pollution in our environment. To tackle this issue, an American tech company called Natural Fiber Welding (NFW) has come up with a new fabric.

According to their website, NFW uses recycled cotton yarns and other plant-based products to manufacture sustainable fabrics. NFW has named this performance cotton textile as Clarus. Made from cotton that has been treated to partially break down the organic material and leave it stronger and denser, Clarus cotton yarn promises to be the natural and biodegradable substitute of synthetic fibers.

It should be noted that synthetic garments shed fibrous microplastics, which are less than 5 mm, when worn, washed, and dried. As a result, microplastic has now spread to most of the places in the world, from air, water, to food.

NFW was founded by Luke Haverhals, who has a PhD in chemistry and has taught at the Naval Academy of the US in 2008. According to Wired, Haverhals worked with a team of chemists and materials scientists researching ionic liquids, which are fundamentally melted salts. These salts remain in liquid form at room temperature and can be used as solvents to break down biomass. In 2009, with funding from the Air Force’s Office of Scientific Research, Haverhals’ team realised a significant breakthrough in strengthening natural fibers using ionic liquids. Exploring what might happen if they partially break down natural fibers and then welded them together, the team discovered a monofilament cotton. These partially dissolved and fused fibers can be made much longer and stronger unlike the original fibers.

NFW also mentions how the big clothing brands have added words like recycled clothing as part of their marketing gimmick. “The goal is to calm consumer anxiety about how prolific plastic waste and pollution has become. At the end of the day, even when recycled, plastic is still plastic,” mentions NFW.

With the invention of Clarus, NFW has attracted some notable investors, including Ralph Lauren, BMW’s iVentures, and Allbirds, reports Wired. The fabric may just be the future of fashion as sustainability and climate crisis issues rise.