Materra

Materra cotton / Source: Materra

AsiaCottonEuropeTextiles

WHAT WE SAY:

Cotton is the world’s most widely produced natural fibre and with that comes huge variants in how it is produced, from the near pre-industrial methods practiced by smallholders in sub-Saharan Africa, right up to AI-powered, precision farming methods.

Materra sits firmly on the data-driven end of the spectrum, although its vision is to bridge this gap – empowering the millions of small cotton farmers to adopt best-in-class modern techniques to produce more with less. It is certainly one to watch, although currently Materra is still at the pilot stage, with its first cotton due to hit retail shelves in 2023.

Inside a Materra controlled growing environment / Source: Materra

ABOUT MATERRA

Materra was founded in 2019 as hydroCotton, before rebranding in 2021 - by Edward Brial, Edward Hill and John Bertolaso, who studied engineering together at Imperial College London.
The company is focused on developing climate-resilient agricultural technology to make cotton farming more sustainable.
Materra produces extra long staple Cotton. It is the longest type of cotton fibre, up to two inches in length and offers increased uniformity and durability. It is frequently used in luxury fabric production.
Materra’s approach is to install greenhouse systems, which are then combined with precision agriculture and AI-based diagnostics tools, in order to enable farmers to produce maximum yields with minimal resources.
During trials in climate-controlled greenhouses at its UK scientific research centre, Materra claims to have cut water use by 80%, while slashing CO2 emissions by 30% compared to conventional cotton farming.
It also eliminated pesticides from the cotton-growing process, while achieving yields four times higher than average.
In 2021, Materra unveiled a two-year pilot in Gujarat, India, supported by the Fashion For Good accelerator programme. The farm aims to grow three tons of cotton, which will then be used by the programme’s corporate partners – luxury brands Kering and PVH, along with textile manufacturer Arvind.
In June 2022, the company raised a USD 4.5 million seed round, co-led by the H&M Group and Invest FWD (the venture arm of the Bestseller Group).
In 2022, the company won the Common Objective Leadership Award, which recognises excellence in sustainable fashion. The founders were also named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 2021 Manufacturing and Industry category.