First, Food – Now, Fashion and Furniture:
More Innovations in Circular Materials

These two women-owned startups are repurposing waste streams from food manufacturing into striking interior finishes and “leather” handbags and accessories.

By Roberto Guerra | Published 2 months ago | About a 4 minute read

Image: Allégorie

Today, about one-third of all food produced globally is thrown out — even though close to 800 million people throughout the world face hunger (over 122 million more since 2019).

Not only is this tragic on a human level — it is also a major environmental issue, due to the enormous amount of land and resources that goes into food production. In fact, food waste accounts for over 30 percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

But unsellable food and byproducts from food production and manufacturing need not necessarily go to waste, as more and more innovators — who are repurposing these “waste” streams into everything from other food and personal-care products to textiles — are proving. Here are two more companies that are turning food waste into value-added products.

Ottan Studio

An acoustic wall panel made from grass | Image credit: Ottan

Founded in 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey, Ottan produces upcycled building, furniture materials and accessories — including wood alternatives and cladding materials with acoustic properties from ingredients including egg, pistachio and hazelnut shells; expired lentils and coffee pulp; and frosted-glass alternatives from expired rice.

“By upcycling green waste into functional materials, Ottan helps to close the loop in a circular economy — offering resource-efficient alternatives to traditional materials,” founder Ayşe Yılmaz, who studied Industrial Product Design at Istanbul Technical University, told Sustainable Brands® (SB). “Our approach has garnered significant interest from designers and manufacturers globally, who appreciate the environmental benefits and unique aesthetic qualities of Ottan's products.”

Yilmaz said Ottan sources its raw materials directly from food and agricultural producers, using their waste and byproducts as inputs for production. For large-scale acquisitions, Ottan partners primarily with food producers to secure substantial quantities of green waste.

The company has also signed short-term collaborations with various global brands to upcycle their waste, she explained. For example, Ottan turned pistachio shells from the production of Nestlé's Damak brand pistachio chocolate into bookshelves and donated them to schools in need. “We’re always open to partnerships like this to expand our impact and reach a wider audience,” she said.

“We believe that upcycling/recycling waste into new materials is the future of how materials will/should be made,” Yilmaz — who was among the UK Women in Green Business Awards 2024 finalists for Clean Technology Innovator of the Year — asserted. “The future hinges on moving away from traditional materials that deplete natural resources rapidly and endanger biodiversity through overconsumption.”

Allégorie

Allégorie’s apple leather cross-body bag | Image credit: Allégorie

Meanwhile, New York City-based Allégorie turns discarded fruits and plants into cruelty-free, vegan leather accessories that reduce both food waste and greenhouse gas emissions.

The company was founded in 2019, after co-founders Jen You and Heather Jiang learned about the ethical and environmental issues behind conventional leather bags and decided to leave the world of corporate finance to design better solutions.

Apples, pineapple and cactus are among the company’s key ingredients. When apples, for example, are processed for juice, 70-75 percent of the apple goes into the juice; the remaining 25-30 percent is pomace (pulp), which usually ends up in a landfill and releases methane — a greenhouse gas that traps more heat than C02.

Along with their production partners, Allégorie partners with juice manufacturers to collect the pomace, dehydrate it, mix it with binding agents and turn it into plant-based fabric.

When needed, Allégorie combines the materials it takes from discarded fruits and combines them with other upcycled plant fibers and recycled polyester, and non-toxic or plant-based dyes. The company also says that it produces all its materials using sustainable processes that save energy and resources, without releasing any toxic chemicals into the environment.

“Every bag at Allégorie reduces food waste and gives back to the local community. We prioritize sourcing locally whenever possible,” Jiang, who was just awarded a $50K “Fund Her Future” grant and a year’s worth of financial services from H&R Block, told SB.

A welcome trend

Circular material innovations are improving the sustainability of fashion and other industries, while putting the world’s overabundance of food waste and other industrial “waste” streams to use — so, watch this space as the market continues to grow.

Roberto Guerra

Roberto Guerra is a bilingual writer, editor, entrepreneur, corporate engagement and communications specialist, and US Air Force veteran with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Universidad de la Sabana (Bogota, Colombia) and an International Master in Sustainable Development and Corporate Responsibility from EOI Business School (Madrid, Spain). Born in New York and raised in Florida, Roberto is former managing director for the Spanish-language version of vegan business magazine "vegconomist" and is also author of three novels. He has lived, worked and studied on four different continents.

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Food & Beverage