Bloom Labs is expediting global shift towards circular economy

Bloom Labs, a platform for the next generation of climate-focused solutions derived from nature, is aiming to accelerate the circular economy by developing sustainable alternatives to fibers and plastics.

Their breakthrough material utilises protein-rich waste by-products to create scalable, commercially viable clothing and plastic materials, avoiding harmful petrochemicals and resource-intensive processes.

Through bio-manufacturing and advanced protein engineering, waste is transformed into practical pellets, spun into high-performance fibers resembling cotton, silk, and polyester.

The easily integrated pellets mitigate scalability and feed-stock risks, offering a game-changing solution. With global fiber production projected to increase, adopting recycled fibers and innovative materials becomes crucial for fashion to reduce emissions, water consumption, biodiversity impacts, and manage post-consumer waste.

By tackling the dominance of synthetic fibres and their environmental consequences, Bloom Labs strives for circularity and sustainable material sourcing, led by a team of interdisciplinary scientists.

Simardev S. Gulati, a 3rd generation textile entrepreneur and the Co-founder and CEO of Bloom Labs shares: ‘Our mission is to make circularity an actuality. We see a future where old resource intensive processes are replaced with cutting-edge sustainable alternatives.’

Global fiber production has surged twofold over the past two decades, reaching 113 million tonnes in 2021. If the current trajectory persists, projections indicate a further ascent to 149 million tonnes by 2030, as per findings from Textile Exchange.

In light of this escalating trend, prioritising the utilisation of recycled fibers and next-generation materials becomes imperative for the fashion industry. By embracing these alternatives, greenhouse gas emissions can be curtailed, water consumption minimized, negative effects on biodiversity mitigated, and the mounting burden of post-consumer waste effectively managed.

While approximately 8.5 percent of the fibers produced globally in 2021 stemmed from recycled sources, primarily recycled polyester derived from PET bottles, the recycling of existing textiles accounted for less than 1 percent. Breaking fashion’s reliance on fossil fuels and mitigating the consequences of the prevailing linear economic systems necessitates a paradigm shift, emphasising the importance of circularity and material innovation.