Meet our newest Design to Improve Life Fund company: Ananas Anam behind green textile Piñatex. This year, the company have put themselves on the fashion industry map by collaborating with iconic names such as Hugo Boss and H&M, producing both sustainable and sell-out collections.
“We're delighted to be investing in a company that's rethinking waste streams to create valuable, sustainable and beautiful alternatives to leather and plastic-based materials," says CEO of The Index Project Liza Chong. "Ananas Anam is an exciting addition to our portfolio, and we're so proud to be a part of their journey."
The new funding round will help accelerate the transition of Piñatex into mainstream fashion. By securing more brand collaborations, increasing production and working towards more competitive pricing, they’re reinforcing their role as a leader in the global fashion industry.
“The case for sustainable materials is gaining more and more momentum,” says CEO of Ananas Anam Melanie Broyé-Engelkes. “Whilst we're still enjoying the first-mover advantage and are one of the sustainable material references in the fashion market, we feel that the time has come to broaden our positioning."
"[We] offer the potential to profoundly disrupt not only the fashion industry but, all the sectors using fibres at its core."
"We're not just a vegan alternative to leather, but offer new sustainable material solutions, with the potential to profoundly disrupt not only the fashion industry but, all sectors using fibres at its core.”
With funds from previous rounds, Piñatex is completing industrial production trials of a bio-based coating that will be phased into production in 2020. This development goes hand-in-hand with Piñatex's goal to further develop their colour range and overall finishing while moving into new sectors such as furniture and automobiles.
The DTIL Fund is proud to join a group of forward-looking investors. Such as family-owned sustainable investment group Treïs, entrepreneur turned plant-based investor Michiel van Deursen, and environmentally-conscious professional footballer Chris Smalling, to name a few.
Our DTIL Investor and former Head of Policy and Government Relations at B Lab Australia and New Zealand Rebecca Rozencwajg is excited about the investment in Piñatex: “We're really happy to have an organisation like this in the portfolio," she says. "We love materials that are reclaimed, especially from waste streams, and we saw first-hand in Copenhagen how great their products are."
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Image: Ananas Anam
