PROBLEM

Intensive farming in many parts of the world oversaturates the soil with nutrients from manure. This excess manure is an acute problem which need to be dealt with in order to avoid major environmental catastrophes.

SOLUTION

Mestic® is a novel and economically viable method for, among others, producing bioplastic and regenerated cellulose fibres.

IMPACT

By implementing Mestic® we will turn the global manure problem into a new sustainable and local source of raw biodegradable materials. Giving rise to a local manure based economy.

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DISRUPTING TWO INDUSTRIES

Two of the most polluting industries in the world are being radically transformed with one single idea: Inspidere B.V. has developed a method to retrieve and convert cellulose from dairy cow manure into regenerated cellulose fibers, a method known as Mestic®.
Our solution turns an acute agricultural problem of waste into a sustainable source of raw material for the textile industry.
An industry characterised by big brands that want sustainable fibers, but without solutions that can scale to meet their demand. This is where Mestic® will be a game changer, locked away in excess manure there is enough cellulose to supply global fiber demand ten times over!
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Cellulose, a linear polymer of D-glucose units

MANURE: A VALUABLE RESOURCE

Cows eat biomass containing cellulose, chew it and expose it to enzymes and acid in their stomach, and then produce manure. For dairy cattle, this mixture contains up to 35 percent cellulose, which is now partly pre-processed.
This cellulose is used to create paper, plastic and also, much like in the wood-based fiber industry, to create regenerated cellulose fibers. Yet, the natural pre-treatment of manure allows for a method that consumes less energy and chemicals relative to the wood-based pulping industry.
In addition to cellulose, fermentable components are extracted from the different fractions of manure in order to produce our organic process-chemicals, making Mestic® a truly circular method.
A SUSTAINABLE SOURCE FOR FASHION
Cotton is the most widespread profitable non-food crop in the world. Its production provides income for more than 250 million people worldwide and employs almost 7% of all labor in developing countries. Approximately half of all textiles are made of cotton.
The global reach of cotton is wide, but current cotton production methods are environmentally unsustainable—ultimately undermining the industry’s ability to maintain future production.
Cotton fiber is a natural form of almost pure cellulose. Mestic® replaces this fiber with regenerated cellulose derived from a waste stream. A method that is fundamentally ahead with regards to sustainable practices of cellulose sources for fashion.
MAKING SUSTAINABILITY FASHIONABLE
Through Mestic®, sustainable products become tangible and available for the conscious consumer. At Inspidere BV, we think of fashion as a vehicle for our society to become aware of the environmental and social impact consumer goods bring about.
Driven by the principles established in the UN goals for Sustainable Development, we believe that sustainable and socially responsible products have a distinctive capability to become fashionable. Not only would this make the products in question very profitable, it would also mean that the global manufacturing industry will have to respond to the consumers demand, requiring it to shift from being potentially harmful to being sustainable and circular. When this is achieved, it will become much less demanding for us as a society to live up to the UN goals.
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MAKING SUSTAINABILITY FASHIONABLE
Mestic® was launched 23 june 2017 during the Mestic® Collection fashion show. This was an event where all stakeholders of the project were invited, ranging from farmers and farmer collectives to waterboards and policy makers.
Speakers at the event were, among others, Prince Pieter-Christiaan of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven and ex-european commissioner Neelie Kroes.
AN ECONOMIC INCENTIVE FOR CHANGE
44% of the total costs of cellulose fibers, is defined by the source material. With Mestic® we skip this 44%, by using a material that is freely available. Currently in the Netherlands farmers are delivering manure, our source material, and are paying a gate-fee of 18 euro/ton on top.
This allows us a big enough margin to: produce textiles again locally; lower the gate-fee for farmers; and work in an environmentally sustainable way, all while still producing cellulose fibers at competing prices.
This in turn gives both the agricultural sector and the textile industry an economic incentive to change the way they operate, the best type of incentive for sustainable change.

 

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