Materials Lab @ CIRCULAR REPUBLIC FESTIVAL 2025
The Materials Lab was back in Munich! On May 22nd and 23rd, 2025, the second edition of the Circular Republic Festival took place at the Munich Urban Colab—bringing together a vibrant mix of innovators, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders committed to circular transformation. Following our participation at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Keystone 2025 in Amsterdam, we were excited to bring the Materials Lab to Munich and continue showcasing pioneering biomaterial solutions that challenge linear systems.
Once again, we curated a dynamic mix of bio-based materials and applications, highlighting both early-stage innovations and market-ready solutions. Visitors experienced protein fibers brewed through precision fermentation by Spiber, featured in collaborations with The North Face and Pangaia. Algae-based packaging from Sway and seaweed-derived fibers and textiles from Keel Labs illustrated the potential of marine biomass. Biodegradable polymers from traceless and leather alternatives from Rheom offered compelling replacements to fossil-based materials. We also featured our long-time favorite—mycelium—with leather-like applications from MyThings and Fraxinea and packaging solutions developed by S-Lab. We showed textile dyes engineered by Colorifix and the bio-based soccer turf presented by BIOTEXFUTURE. Many other circular biomaterial innovations rounded off the collection, find a list of all our exhibitors below.
This edition of the festival kicked off with a pre-event, Future Materials, hosted by the Zero Waste Innovation Hub. The session welcomed voices from across the innovation landscape, including Lucas Fuhrmann from revoltech and Professor Dominik Walcher and his team from FH Salzburg.
Throughout the festival, the atmosphere was energetic and hands-on. Moderated by Leonhard Nima and his co-moderator Totinia Hörner, the two-day program invited participants to explore circular ideas in action and connect with the people driving them forward. It was great to see the Materials Lab serve as a conversation starter and collaboration hub throughout the event.
Looking ahead, the Materials Lab will continue to grow as a platform for showcasing circular materials and sparking new collaborations. The strong interest and inspiring conversations at this edition reaffirmed the importance of making innovation tangible. We’re excited to soon share where the next Materials Lab will take place—stay tuned!
Materials Lab - Exhibitor Overview
A Matter of Fruit
Berlin-based A Matter of Fruit uses renewable, plant-based resources from the juice and cider industry to create biodegradable and recyclable materials. Applications range from products for the interior such as blinds, room dividers and lamp shades through to leather alternatives.
Ananas Anam
Ananas Anam is an innovative company that specialises in processing pineapple leaf fibres into traceable textile solutions. The certified B-Corporation brings positive social and environmental impact by repurposing agricultural waste into premium textile-grade fibre.
BIOTEXFUTURE
BIOTEXFUTURE is an innovation space funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF) on biobased textile research. The project is led by the adidas AG and RWTH Aachen University. BIOTEXFUTURE presented their project called BIOTURF, an artificial turf structure made of bio-polyethylene (PE).
Colorifix
Colorifix is revolutionising textile dyeing by using biology instead of harmful chemicals. Their innovative process employs microbes to produce and fix pigments onto fabrics, reducing water and energy consumption. Colorifix uses DNA from color-producing organisms to engineer microbes that generate dyes in a fermentation process, which is then applied directly to fabrics.
Fraxinea
Mushroom based textiles are thin and foam like fabrics, offering a wide range of application opportunities. Fraxinea’s SymbioMat™ is made exclusively from mushrooms and plant fibers; a revolutionary, all-natural raw material obtained through environmentally conscious cultivation and manufacturing processes.
Huda Ashari
Huda Ashari is a regenerative designer based in London, blending traditional crafts with experimental processes to explore materiality, memory, and culture. Her latest project transforms palm oil waste into fully biodegradable POME bioplastic, challenging Western perceptions and highlighting palm oil’s regenerative potential.
Huid
HUID is a biotech startup in the Scottish Highlands that transforms onion skins into PYBER, a lightweight, biodegradable cellulose fiber used for food packaging. PYBER offers a sustainable, local alternative to plastic and wood fiber, supporting closed-loop ecosystems and circular design.
Keel Labs
Keel Labs is a next-generation material company harnessing the power of the ocean to create textile solutions. Their flagship product is KelsunTM fiber, a biobased material made from a biopolymer found in seaweed with applications across the textile industry. KelsunTM fiber is created by pairing seaweed biopolymers with Keel Labs’ proprietary biobased formulations to create a material that easily biodegrades at its end of life.
MushLume Lighting
MushLume is an award-winning biofabricated lighting collection that is GROWN, not manufactured, from hemp and mycelium, the roots of mushrooms. Fusing nature & design, MushLume Lighting elevates interiors while respecting the environment.
MY-THINGS Corp.
MY-THINGS is a biotech startup that offers mycelium-based sustainable materials for brands and manufacturers, enabling them to access eco-friendly materials at reasonable prices and reduce their carbon footprint significantly. MYTHINGS’s mycelium-based vegan leather is a sustainable, high-quality alternative to traditional leather.
Nuvi
Based in Germany, NUVI is a material innovator rethinking coated textiles by developing scalable, 100% bio-based alternatives made entirely from regional plants and minerals. Their collections—MARMORA, CRETA, PAPILIO and TABAK—are undyed or naturally dyed, showcasing the true color, touch and scent of the raw materials. NUVI materials are produced on existing roll-to-roll textile coating machinery fully optimized for industrial-scale production, thus limiting the need for additional infrastructure and resources.
Peter Nasielski
Peter Nasielski’s algae panel prototypes mimic the ecological function of corals, living architectures housing photosynthetic microalgae. These panels are designed to host Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis), an edible species of cyanobacteria that capture atmospheric carbon more efficiently than any terrestrial plant.
Rheom Biomaterials
Derived from bacterial fermentation, minerals, and plant-based matter, Rheom creates innovative materials that seamlessly replace fossil fuel plastics. Shorai™, a 92% biobased leather alternative, is perfect for outdoor bags, footwear uppers, and gloves. Benree™, a 100% biobased resin, plugs into injection molding, matching petrochemical plastic performance with low carbon impact, ideal for sustainable replacements for sunglasses and fashion trims.
Reselo
Reselo has developed a patented technology to produce Reselo Rubber, a 100 % biobased elastomer made entirely from birch bark – a waste stream of the forest industry. Reselo Rubber has potential to replace fossil-derived rubbers in various applications, such as footwear, fashion, automotive and tires.
revoltech
MATTR™ is revoltech’s latest breakthrough in sustainable materials, an algae-based material designed to offer a high-performance, sustainable alternative to traditional leather, crafted from algae to be biodegradable, toxin-free, and climate-positive. Its soft, flexible nature offers a perfect balance of comfort and durability, making it an excellent choice for industries like sportswear, fashion, and interiors.
S.Lab
S.Lab produces biodegradable packaging from plant waste and mycelium, offering natural replacement of polystyrene (foamed plastic) with the same thermal insulating and water resistance properties. The best part is, after the usage it fully decomposes in soil in 30 days.
Spiber
Established in 2007, Spiber is a biotech venture company based in Yamagata, Japan, Spiber’s innovation is a premium, plant-based material produced using Spiber’s fermentation (brewing) technology. Brewed Protein™ fibers can be tailored to offer a silk-like sheen and delicacy, a luxurious smooth feel akin to cashmere, or the loftiness of high-quality wool.
Sway
Sway, a California-based material innovation company is harnessing the power of seaweed to make compostable replacements for plastic. TPSea™, Sway’s core technology is a certified 100% biobased, thermoplastic pellet made entirely from seaweed and plants.
traceless
traceless® has been designed for the biological cycle with the aim to create a holistic zero-compromise solution, a natural substitute for plastics and bioplastics. Based on leftovers of industrial grain processing, it is fully biobased and free of potential food conflicts. The material technology was developed by the female-founded bioeconomy startup traceless materials, based in Hamburg, Germany.