UK upcycled materials startup Arda Biomaterials continues to work on introducing its animal- and plastic-free material New Grain — developed from spent grain from breweries — to the public.
Following a partnership with the sustainable brand BEEN London, Arda announces today a collection of sustainable fashion accessories crafted with New Grain, developed using spent brewery barley grain from London’s iconic craft beer producer Beavertown Brewery.
TJ Mitchell, CTO of Arda Biomaterials, shares: “This partnership is a perfect example of how we can be fast-movers in supporting local supply chains and contributing to a circular economy, all while offering consumers unique products directly linked to their favourite breweries and distilleries, such as Beavertown.”
Cardholders from your favorite beer
The collection’s first product is a limited edition of eight cardholders featuring Beavertown’s iconic skull and bone design. Arda and Beavertown plan to include bags, keyrings, and hats. The unique cardholders will be displayed at Beavertown’s pop-up event in London’s Truman Brewery on Brick Lane from August 17th to 30th.
“We’re delighted to welcome the public to our summer pop-up to share our first-of-its-kind spent barley grain card holders”
This collaboration marks Arda’s second major partnership in recent months. The sustainable brand BEEN London launched a snakeskin-type handbag crafted with New Grain, marking the material’s first use in a tangible product. The bag, a version of BEEN’s bestselling MILLAIS bag, was displayed at the Future Fabrics Expo this June.
Rachael Harrison, Head of Digital Marketing at Beavertown, comments: “This is a project we’re all really excited about here at Beavertown. Arda’s innovation in the beer waste space captured our attention from the get-go, and we’re delighted to welcome the public to our summer pop-up to share our first-of-its-kind spent barley grain card holders.”
No more animals and plastics for materials
Founded in 2022, Arda Biomaterials is pioneering the development of alternative materials made from barley proteins from spent grain. Using science and innovation, the startup designs materials capable of replacing leather, and plastics in industries such as fashion and automotive.
New Grain boasts a range of unique attributes, including customizable patterns such as snake and crocodile, thickness, elasticity, flexibility, and even distinctive scents. The startup explains that its material can be produced in various colors ranging from light tan to black, depending on the type of Grain used — from IPAs and lagers to stouts.
“The Arda team strives to commercialise our innovations with haste at scale, so that we may reduce humanity’s reliance on animals and plastics for materials.”
Environmentally, the material is said to offer significant benefits, reducing CO2 emissions by 97% compared to conventional leather. It also eliminates harmful tanning processes and avoids contributing to microplastic pollution.
Arda Biomaterials’ next challenge is to raise funds to optimize the material and its production process to expand into full-scale commercialization in a new facility co-located with a brewery to produce materials directly from the brewer, enhancing efficiency and integration.
Brett Cotten, CEO of Arda Biomaterials CEO, says: “This partnership with Beavertown not only highlights the potential of New Grain™ as a completely novel material rooted in science, but also showcases our incredible speed. The Arda team strives to commercialise our innovations with haste at scale, so that we may reduce humanity’s reliance on animals and plastics for materials.”
