E110: Simplifyber and a plastic-free textiles future
This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re rethinking how clothes, shoes—and even car interiors—get made without plastic. My guest is Maria Intscher-Owrang, CEO and co-founder of Simplifyber. Her innovation takes plant fibers + water, then forms finished 3D shapes in a single step—skipping spinning, weaving, cutting, and sewing. We get into: What’s broken about fossil-based textiles (cost curves, subsidies, and why polyester took over) How Simplifyber’s cellulose slurry + compression molding works—and why it cuts waste dramatically Early results: an LCA showing up to 30× lower impact for shoe uppers vs. standard construction Performance and durability (including why these parts can survive sun/heat/humidity in car interiors) Unit economics: cost parity at scale via tooling (and why higher volumes matter) Beachhead products: GANNI “moon shoe” uppers and a Kia EV2 concept interior, now moving toward production What this could mean for labor, local supply chains, and using regional feedstocks (cellulose everywhere) Links: Website Simplifyber: https://www.simplifyber.com/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-intscher-owrang-3278a07/ All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/ What you can do to help: Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/ Become a member and get an ad-free version of the podcast: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/
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