Celebrating Earth Day 2023 with Makerversity members

Honouring the 53rd anniversary this Saturday 22nd April, we’re celebrating Earth Day with our Makerversity members. This years theme is “Invest in Our Planet” #InvestInOurPlanet With all that is happening in the world right now, warnings of climate disaster and impending doom, it can be hard to find hope for the future of the planet. So to celebrate we’ve rounded up some of our favourite green heroes of Makerversity.

Della Yellow

“I founded Della Yellow to change our relationship with stuff. I was always the first to reach for the necklaces in the dressing up box, and I still take joy in putting together outfits. That said, I trained as an engineer, so I understand the importance of moving towards a circular economy, and how these processes can be incorporated into products and services that work for people.’’

Ella Cope solo-founded Della Yellow in 2022  to help brands reduce the carbon impact of fashion, while creating a new revenue stream.

There is heightened government focus on the fashion and textiles industry to make sustainable changes, but existing linear supply chains do not lend themselves well to this. Della Yellow supports the fashion and textile industry to transition to a circular model.

Della Yellow enables retailers of any size to offer a customisation service for existing garments directly from their own website. Their unique technology interface seamlessly integrates Della Yellow’s service with brands’ existing retail experience.

Check out Della Yellow here

The Tyre Collective

Over a million tonnes of tyre wear is produced annually in Europe, making it the second largest source of microplastics in our oceans and a major source of air PM pollution. The Tyre Collective is a clean-tech start-up spearheading the capture and monitoring of tyre wear, accelerating the shift towards true zero-emission mobility. They are developing the first on-vehicle device to capture tyre wear at the source and close the loop on captured waste.

"Our core mission is to improve the planet’s health by removing tyre wear in our air and water. In 2021, we completed our first on-vehicle test with CEVT and Volvo Cars, capturing the first on-road samples of tyre wear. Last year, we conducted a 3-month pilot with Zhero, a London logistics company. This summer, we are conducting a larger pilot and showcasing creative applications for tyre wear in September. Together, let’s save our air from tyre wear!"

Samudra

Samudra is an AI and Robotics company that can scale seaweed farming 1000x. We make swarms of monitoring robots infrastructure equipped with sensors and cameras that can optimise seaweed farms and help them scale.

"Our oceans have been overlooked for too long. We believe that harnessing blue carbon and our ocean in general can have an immense effect in battling the climate crisis and leading the world into a brighter future."

Amphico

Amphico is a material innovation company founded by Jun Kamei in 2018, dedicated to creating environmentally-friendly materials for the outdoor clothing industry. Their flagship product, Amphitex, offers a recyclable, PFAS-free and coating-free, solution to traditional materials without compromising performance. With a strong commitment to advancing green technology, the team of scientists, engineers and designers is poised to revolutionise the textile industry and redefine the way we approach outdoor apparel.

“It’s never been more difficult to enjoy the outdoors without polluting it. Ironically, the clothes and equipment that enable us to endure harsh weather conditions are seriously harming the environment we are there to appreciate. Following our successful fundraising in 2022, the team at Amphico is incredibly excited to fully commercialise Amphitex by continuing to work with brands to create a meaningful solution. Our radically simple answer: make everything from one thing. One versatile polymer inspired by the hydrophobic surfaces found in nature, such as lotus leaves, that will lead the outdoor industry towards a circular future” – Jun Kamei, Amphico Founder & CEO

Cassie Quinn

Cassie is a graduate of the Master’s in Biodesign from CSM and PhD Candidate with the Living Systems Lab at CSM. She combines traditional textile techniques with novel biomaterial research within her work. She specialises in various techniques from embroidery to laser-cutting and bioremediation. Her work has been presented at exhibitions and showcases including Wallpaper* Magazine, Future Fabrics Expo and the IUCN World Congress with LVMH.

Alongside the research of innovative materials, she delivers workshops as part of the Sustainable Fashion Factory series for organisations such as Soho House, Victoria and Albert Museum and Prince’s Trust. She has also been awarded accolades for her work including the prestigious Innovate UK: Young Innovator Award Winner 2022/3, EU Commission Worth II Partnership Project, and Mayor’s Entrepreneur Awards for Creative Industries.

Check out what Cassie is up to soon with a workshop coming up, their new website launched, showcasing at this years Institute of Positive Fashion Innovation Showcase  and the awards ceremony for the Drapers Sustainable Fashion Awards in category Sustainable Textile Innovation

Thank you to all our members for your contributions to Earth Day and to all our members supporting environmental protection in each of their practices.

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