Material Innovation Initiative news and archive

Material Innovation Initiative to wind down operations

Material Innovation Initiative (MII) has informed stakeholders that it has made the decision to wind down its operations. In a letter from the organisation’s directors it was stated that the move, made by the board of directors and the executive leadership team, comes following “thorough evaluation and much deliberation”. Since its founding in...

Fashion Featured

Report shines light on next-gen fur, posing the question 'What makes Fur, Fur?'

One of the earliest animal-based materials used by humans to make garments, fur has long been the source of debate within the fashion industry. Praised for its exceptional warmth, durability, and softness, the reality behind fur farming and the ethics surrounding its production have been under scrutiny for decades. As animal-rights organizations...

Fashion Featured

Brands flock to next-gen materials, new report shows

It’s been some years since the sparkly promise of pineapple leather and the like first sprouted in our news feeds, so what’s happening now with the innovation of next-gen materials? Quite a lot, it turns out. The Material Innovation Initiative's (MII) new report "Brand Engagement with Next-Gen Materials 2023" spotlights a surge in collaborations...

Business

New report explores how next-gen silk could disrupt the materials industry

Nonprofit think tank Material Innovation Initiative (MII) has published a report titled “What Makes Silk, Silk? Revisited 2023”, which explores silk’s unique properties and highlights key opportunities and challenges to inspire a new generation of scientists and entrepreneurs to develop high performance, luxurious and sustainable next-gen silk...

ResearchPress Release

Please consider a donation to support material innovation this holiday season

You have so many choices of great charities to support this season. Please consider donating to MII! We have a special opportunity where two donors are matching up to $65,000 for all donations received before the end of the year. We are the only nonprofit working to save animals and the planet by advancing the next-gen materials industry. Here...

FairsFeatured

"We need these innovators and they need us": Highlights from the 2023 Material Innovation Conference

The Material Innovation Conference is an annual summit held virtually that invites textile industry figureheads from big business to startups to explore and assess the past, present, and future growth of sustainably-driven innovations. Organised in part by Material Innovation Initiative co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Nicole Rawling,...

Fashion Partner Content

For blue and clean oceans: Arch & Hook produces hangers out of ocean-bound waste

Arch & Hook is helping fashion and retail brands reach their sustainability goals by producing hangers, furniture and fixtures out of sustainable materials. BLUEWAVE® is Arch & Hook’s own thermoplastic material made from 100% recycled ocean-bound plastic, marine plastic and post-consumer plastic, collected predominantly from four of the most...

BusinessPress Release

ACE selects the Material Innovation Initiative as 2022 Standout Charity

ACE selects the Material Innovation Initiative as 2022 Standout Charity Material Innovation Initiative (MII): We are honored to announce that the Material Innovation Initiative has been recognized as a 2022 Standout Charity by Animal Charity Evaluators(ACE) for the second year in a row! As a non-profit, non-partisan organization, we rely on the...

BusinessFeatured

Investments in next generation materials on the rise according to Material Innovation Initiative

A new State of the Industry report by the Material Innovation Initiative (MII) has stated that interest in next generation materials is continuing to grow, after it found that investments in the sector have risen to over 2.3 billion dollars since 2015. Next generation materials, or ‘Next-Gen’, provide brands with animal-friendly alternatives to...

Fashion Featured

5 Next Generation Materials and how brands are using them

As consumers continue to look towards more sustainable alternatives to synthetics and animal-based materials, new breeds of fibre have been continuing to make a mark on the industry. A new report released by the Material Innovation Initiative (MII), Brand Engagement with Next-Gen Materials: 2022 Landscape, has detailed the most important and...

BusinessPartner Content

MII Launches Virtual Material Innovation Conference May 18 & 19

Forager, MycoWorks, VitroLabs, Modern Meadow, NFW, Everlane and others partner with MII for the inaugural gathering of industry experts discussing the future of the material sectors To support the development and adoption of next-gen materials, the Material Innovation Initiative is launching the inaugural Material Innovation Conference. This...

Business

New report highlights opportunities for next-gen sustainable materials

A new report titled “White Space Analysis 2021” by The Material Innovation Initiative (MII) - an accelerator of the development of next generation sustainable materials for the fashion, automotive and home goods industries - and investor and ecosystem builder The Mills Fabrica has identified next-gen materials that are set to follow alternative...