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/

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