Testimonials

“MII’s conference was the first place dedicated to next-gen materials and an exciting opportunity. The reports make conversations with both brands & with investors easier. Speaking with and getting mentorship from Thomasine, Sydney, Nicole, Elaine & others at MII is valuable on so many fronts. MII is the soft power, influence, and education needed to propel the entrepreneurs in the space.”

Zimri T. Hinshaw, CEO

Bucha Bio

“The value of MII’s role as a relationship facilitator in the next-gen materials industry cannot be overstated. The MII team played a vital role in getting us in touch with the right investors, which ultimately led to the close of our first pre-seed funding round, fueling us with the resources and momentum needed to create sustainable plant-based fur. We simply could not have crossed this milestone without them.”

Martin Stübler, Co-Founder

Biofluff

“MII played a huge part in supporting us to make this [partnership with NFW] happen. MII understands the important role that manufacturers can play in expediting a shift into next-gen materials, and helps manifest collaborations amongst material innovators, brands, and original equipment & design manufacturers (OEM/ODM) like Veshin Factory. It’s great to have this example now to inspire more stakeholders in the industry to collaborate.”

Joey Pringle, Founder & Co-Owner

Veshin Factory

“There is an increasing demand of plastic free and sustainable materials in the market. ISA decided to enter the plant-based material market and offer plastic free additional materials beside our already recognized LITE leather. Hence, we established our COSM business unit with the focus on sustainable additional material besides our sustainable leather, LITE leather, without cannibalizing it. Our vision is to provide the market with our next generations to come with more sustainable additional material choices. So we are glad to partner with and support MII to further protect our planet.”

REINER HENGSTMANN, VICE PRESIDENT ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

ISA Next-Gen Materials

“In this age of innovation for the textile and apparel industry, I am pleased to participate in the Material Innovation Conference to connect, share and learn about the ways we can lower our environmental footprint in a socially responsible manner.”

TRICIA CAREY, Chief Commercial Officer

Renewcell

“The MII Conference is one of the most important gatherings for those focused next-gen materials. It brings together progressive innovators for technical discussions and inspires collaboration among those with a passion for change.”

LEWIS SHULER, Head of Innovation

Alpine Creations

“I am proud to support the Material Innovation Initiative (MII), a nonprofit that has made meaningful strides toward creating a more sustainable, humane, and beautiful world. It is the only organization that elevates all stakeholders across the industry and operates at the center of the next-gen materials ecosystem as a knowledge partner, ideas generator, facilitator, and connector.”

mii DONOR

“MII has achieved so much in so little time. They have established themselves as a true leader in this incredibly important effort to create an ecosystem of non-animal based materials, while simultaneously assembling a phenomenal team of dedicated and brilliant people. When they asked me to join the board of directors, I could not say yes fast enough. MII will be a game changer for the world, and I feel so lucky to be part of the effort.”

AMY ROSENFELD

MII Board of Directors

“The group at MII, specifically Sydney and Thomasine have been enormously helpful in our product roadmap. Great to work with a firm that will be so imperative in the long run for next-gen materials.”

Mason Mincey, COO

Soarce

“First of all, there is no other pioneer in the world that gathers both brands, investors, academicians, innovators and press together and creates an impact like MII does. For this reason, we sponsored and participated in the conference organized by MII in May as an innovator. In this way, we both gained more awareness and met with global major brands. In addition, after the conference ended, the MII team continued to introduce us to different investors and brands, which is really admirable. As an early stage start-up, these developments have really helped us a lot. I am sure that in the future when next-gen material dominates the world, MII’s efforts and vision will be one of the reasons.”

ece gozen, co-founder & ceo

Gozen

“MII is doing important work in a high-impact, tractable, and neglected area. Creating better materials using more efficient technologies is a key part of driving positive change for the climate, animal health, biodiversity, public health, and economic development.”

mii donor

“I believe so strongly in MII–they are truly Mover and Shakers! Their primary goal isn’t only people and the planet, it is also towards the well-being of animals by working with alternative materials. What I am mainly impressed by is their passion for every part of making these changes—from helping the producers of materials to get these products to market, to the retailer experimenting with new products, to the media to promote honest information about these new materials and ultimately to the consumer who will be using them. They are helping everyone. Very impressive.”

mii donor