Summary

Ambercycle is a material science company that is pioneering a process for end-of-life textiles to be integrated back into the economy by creating new materials from them. The company has created a process to separate fibers within textiles on a molecular level, and then reprocess them just like virgin materials. The majority of modern fabrics tend to be a blend of different fibers–polyester, cotton, acrylic or spandex. This materials the material difficult to recycle. However, by separating the fibers on a molecular level, recycling the fibers is then possible. The company recycles polyester and has made its own recycled polyester yarn called Cycora, a high-quality regenerated polyester material that can be made into a yarn. For cellulose and spandex components, the company partners with external companies to recycle the fibers and bring them back into respective pieces of clothing.

Story

Ambercycle was founded in 2015 by former UC Davis roommates Akshay Sethi and Moby Ahmed, both of whom had backgrounds in chemistry and engineering. Their journey began with a realization that — an astonishing 54% of all clothing is made from polyester, resulting in a staggering $120 billion worth of garments ending up in landfills each year. (Source) To tackle this huge problem of waste, the duo imagined a technology that could take an old T-shirt and turn it back into the yarns required to make that T-shirt again. Sethi and Ahmed started the company in San Francisco and then moved it to Los Angeles’ garment industry, looking for a manufacturing hub close to a center of innovation. (Source)

Pic Credit: Ambercycle (right) and Dot.LA (top)