The Circular Economy Show Podcast

What does it take to scale biomaterials?

Episode Summary

Could drinking beer be the pathway to creating new leather alternative fashion products? In this episode of The Circular Economy Show, we uncover the story of Arda Biomaterials, the company turning brewing waste into new leather alternatives. Their co-founder, Brett Cotten tells us how they have developed this innovative process. We're also joined by Amy Tsang, the Head of Europe at The Mills Fabrica, to find out why investment and venture capital are essential for driving these innovations forward.

Episode Notes

In this episode of the Circular Economy Show we discuss Arda Biomaterials' journey of transforming beer by-products into sustainable materials. Brett Cotten, co-founder at Arda, details the company's origins, challenges, and successes, including raising pre-seed investment in 2023 and scaling operations. Amy Tsang from The Mills Fabrica highlights their 360-degree support for innovators, emphasising investment, collaboration, and showcasing technologies. Both discuss the importance of scalability, impact measurement, and the commercial viability of biomaterials, with Brett noting the potential of chemistry-based approaches and Amy highlighting innovative startups including Epoch Biodesign.

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