April 2026

Apr 1
8 min read

Clean Up Dry-Cleaning

The “dry” part in dry-cleaning comes from the use of chemical solvents rather that water to clean clothes. Perchloroethylene (PERC) has been the dominant solvent used for dry cleaning since the 1940s. PERC is a well-known neurotoxicant, reproductive toxicant, liver and kidney toxicant, and carcinogen. Chronic exposure to PERC, even below the US occupational exposure limits, can cause measurable neurological symptoms such as deficits in color vision, cognitive function, reaction time, and visual memory.

As of 2017, there were approximately 20,600 dry cleaning shops in the United States, employing nearly 160,000 workers. Estimates of current PERC usage vary, reflecting the pace of transition. As recently as a decade ago, 80 to 85% of dry cleaners in the U.S. used PERC. Now, less than 60% of dry cleaners use PERC.

With pressure from the EPA, California and New York, the dry-cleaning industry is being forced to transition away from PERC and is making room for new technologies including safer and more effective water-based cleaning alternatives.

In December of 2024 the EPA set a timeline for the phase-out of PERC. As of June 2025, the sale of new PERC dry cleaning machines is prohibited. By December 2034 PERC will be banned for use in dry cleaning. This rule follows state and local actions. California's Air Resources Board (CARB) began phasing out PERC machines as early as 2007, banning new PERC machines after 2023. Washington, New York, Massachusetts, and Illinois have all enacted or proposed regulations that restrict PERC use, mandate reporting, or accelerate phase-out timelines beyond the federal baseline.

Alternative solvents to PERC include:

Hydrocarbon solvents derived from petroleum offer a less toxic alternative to PERC, however some formulations can contain harmful aromatic compounds.
Siloxane (D5) has been a common PERC replacement often marketed as green. D5 is a potential endocrine disruptor and has been found in air sampling studies in urban areas. The largest supplier of D5 based dry cleaning solutions is GreenEarth Cleaning.
Alcohol/Glycol is another alternative claiming to have high cleaning power while being biodegradable and having low aquatic toxicity. Suppliers include companies such as Safechem.

The Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) ranked the available alternatives, finding professional wet cleaning/steam pressing as the best alternative. However, wet cleaning has traditionally been limited by the high labor costs and incompatibility with some fabric types.

Presso is a robotics company that developed steam-based systems for express garment care at the point of need, without solvents and compatible with all garment types. Presso expects that automation of the finishing step will make steam-based garment care scalable and easy to adopt in a wide range of settings.

Paper vs. Plastic 2.0

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation (for example California's SB 54 and Oregon's SB 582) is being adopted around the country and causing demand for paper packaging as a substitute for plastic. However, as underlined in a recent report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation sustainable paper packaging requires reinventing the materials that make it functional, ensuring it performs adequately, and is safe, recyclable, and free from hazardous chemicals.

EPR laws require companies to bear the responsibility for their packaging through its life cycle, shifting the end-of-life cost burden from local taxpayers to the producers and ultimately to consumers. These laws introduce fees which penalize plastic packaging, incentivizing recyclable choices, especially paper and fiber-based packaging. For example, California's SB 54 mandates that all single-use packaging be recyclable or compostable by 2032, and requires a 25% reduction in plastic packaging, creating a strong market signal for paper-based alternatives.

EPR legislation should also consider the use of potentially hazardous chemical additives. Paper packaging has relied on hazardous chemicals like PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) for barrier properties against grease and water. Another synthetic additive used in paper manufacturing to provide wet strength is Polyamide-amine-epichlorohydrin (PAE), a potentially hazardous, petroleum derived additive. When used in papermaking, PAE generates hazardous halogenated byproducts 1,3-DCP and 3-MCPD, which are classified as carcinogens and can leach into food.

The new EPR legislation should create an opportunity for innovation in bio-based coatings and additives derived from renewable resources such as starch, cellulose, and other natural biopolymers that provide grease and moisture resistance while being both recyclable and safe for human health.

Can We All Agree on Something

A recent Pew Research survey of more than 5,000 U.S. adults finds overwhelming, bipartisan agreement on the need for greater chemical safety oversight and corporate transparency:

84% of respondents say the government needs to do more to identify and regulate harmful chemicals in everyday products.
83% say companies cannot be trusted to ensure product safety without government oversight.
83% want companies to tell them more about the chemicals in their products.
77% say polluters — not the government — should bear primary responsibility for cleanup costs.

These results hold across every demographic category. Support for more government action on chemical safety includes 79% of Republicans, 88% of Democrats, and 90% of those who declined to identify politically. Results are similarly strong across all age groups and regions.

Despite the unified support for more government oversight, Republicans in Congress advanced a discussion draft of a potential TSCA amendment that would weaken the EPA’s ability to regulate chemicals by requiring higher evidentiary thresholds and greater deference to other federal agencies' standards. The draft includes two proposals that we believe move in the right direction. The first is a call for more transparency of the review process, and the second is a priority review of safer-substitute chemicals and supply-chain-critical substances.

Baggy Trousers

From performance apparel to denim jeans, our clothing has been getting stretchier by using more elastane (a type of polyurethane also known as Spandex or Lycra). Elastane is made from petroleum-based hazardous chemicals and is incompatible with circular textile systems. Elastane also ages, especially when exposed to heat cycles, losing stretchiness and causing waste.

Fashion for Good, recently launched a Stretching Circularity initiative to accelerate the adoption of elastane alternatives that are compatible with circular textile systems. Several brands, including PVH Corp, Ralph Lauren, and Reformation, are also supporting a collaborative project facilitated by Materiom and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to assess the innovation landscape for bio-based elastane alternatives.

A few of the early-stage companies working to reinvent stretch without traditional elastane include:

TIRA - uses rice husks, food waste, and non-toxic additives to produce a 100% bio-based replacement to elastane..
Return to Vendor - developed additives that enable stretch nylon fibers to create mono – material nylon fabrics and accessories that can be recycled.
Yulex - produces a commercial filament stretch fiber made from natural latex / rubber.
Nanoloom - uses graphene, a carbon allotrope that can be extracted from graphite or waste biomass, to create a range of non-toxic, biodegradable, and recyclable fibers.
Spideytek - uses the alfalfa plant to make recombinant spider silk proteins that can be turned into a bio-based elastane alternative.
Algenesis - has created a range of biobased polyurethane formulations and is working on isocyanate-free polyurethane.

There are also existing suppliers who offer a range of partially biobased elastane formulations such as Asahi Kasei’s ROICA V550, a biobased elastane that also claims to be biodegradable.

It is likely that elastane will be replaced via a technology portfolio approach: mono-material nylon stretch for activewear and recycling-optimized applications, bio-based elastomers in applications where biodegradability and biobased feedstocks are priorities, and modified polyurethanes from renewable building blocks in applications where traditional PU performance is essential.

Mimikai Keeps Ticks and Mosquitos Away

Mimikai has been included in Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2026. Seven years of research, testing, and persistence led to the market launch of its undecanone-based formula that is safer and more effective than DEET. Mimikai is the first new EPA-registered repellent based on a new active ingredient in 25 years.

Mimikai is available online, through Amazon, in REI stores, at Credo Beauty, at Grove Collaborative, and in other locations, both physical and online.

Financings

The Bland Company transforms leftover plant material into functional proteins and raised $2.67 million.

Cauldron Ferm makes a continuous fermentation platform that improves the production efficiency of biologically derived products and raised $13.3 million.

Cocoon Carbon converts steel mill byproducts into a low-carbon cement substitute and raised $15 million.

Climatex develops recyclable textiles for apparel and interior products and raised $4.1 million.

CryoBio engineers microbes to produce antifreeze proteins for crop frost protection and raised $1.3 million.

Cyclic Materials recovers rare earth elements from end-of-life products and manufacturing waste and raised $75 million.

DexMat makes lightweight carbon-based conductive materials designed to replace copper in wires and cables and raised $5 million.

Elea & Lili produces a cellulose-based superabsorbent and raised $2.9 million.

Epoch Biodesign designs enzymes that recycle end-of-life plastic and textile waste into virgin-quality materials and raised $12 million.

Freeform makes a 3D-printing platform that uses lasers to manufacture metal components and raised $67 million.

Freestyle makes disposable diapers designed to improve airflow and reduce skin irritation in infants and raised $10 million.

Level Nine develops catalysts that convert biomass and waste into chemical feedstocks and raised $4.6 million.

Metafuels produces synthetic aviation fuel using methanol-to-jet technology and raised $24 million.

Phoenix Tailings processes rare earth elements from mining waste into finished metals and alloys and raised $30.2 million.

PlasmaLeap Technologies uses modular plasma reactors to produce ammonia and nitric acid for fertilizer production and raised $21 million.

PolyGone Systems provides microplastic monitoring and water filtration systems and raised a $4 million.

Redwood Materials recycles batteries and produces cathode materials and grid-scale energy storage and raised $425 million.

Renasens develops a CO2-based process that separates blended textile waste into reusable fibers and raised $11.6 million.

Resurrect Bio develops gene-edited crops that restore native disease resistance traits and raised $8.1 million.

Rift develops iron-fuel systems that generate high-temperature heat for industrial processes and raised $96.7 million.

Rubi converts carbon dioxide into raw materials for manufacturing textiles and raised $7.5 million.

Seprify produces cellulose-based ingredients that replace titanium dioxide in food, cosmetics, and coatings and raised $15.6 million.

Shellworks develops biodegradable packaging materials and raised $15 million.

Solugen produces nitrogen fertilizers derived from organic waste and raised $50 million.

Sparxell creates plant-based, biodegradable glitter pigments and raised $5 million.

Twogee Biotech develops enzyme systems to convert biomass into chemical building blocks and raised $2.6 million.

Acquisitions

Advent International acquired Salt & Stone, a premium clean body care and fragrance brand known for sustainable packaging and natural ingredients.

BASF announced the acquisition of AgBiTech, a bio-based pest control company, in a deal expected to close later this year. The acquisition adds to BASF's existing BioSolutions portfolio.

Bioleum acquired RenFuel’s IP assets, including its catalytic esterification process for making bio products from lignin and woody biomass, for $18.1 million.

Estée Lauder acquired the full/remaining stake in Forest Essentials, an Indian Ayurvedic luxury beauty brand with strong sustainability and ethical sourcing focus.

L Catterton, a US PE firm, acquired Good Culture, a clean-label, cultured cottage cheese and dairy brand that focuses on natural, minimally processed dairy with environmental commitments.

Outdoor apparel brand Jack and Sage acquired Kastlfel, a sustainable apparel brand using water-based printing and eco-materials.

Skyline Beauty Group acquired LilyAna Naturals, a naturally derived, cruelty-free skincare brand.

Solabia, a multi-national ingredient supplier, recently expanded its cosmetic ingredient offerings with the acquisitions of Mibelle Biochemistry and Seqens’ Botanical Actives.