Where science meets fashion

When cracking a pecan, most people throw away the shell. Raha Saremi wants you to wear it.

How?

Saremi witnessed firsthand the sheer volume of agricultural byproducts going to waste across Georgia’s farming communities and natural environment.

“Because there are not so many high-value products currently made from pecan shells, farmers and shellers end up burning or discarding them,” said Saremi, who holds a Ph.D. in polymer, fiber, and textile sciences from the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “So that’s where the idea of turning waste into materials came from.”

Saremi founded Ecoatex, a startup spun out of University of Georgia research, when she was a researcher in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Eventually, she decided to pursue the company full-time to solve this problem.

Her team uses green chemistry to turn that waste into bio-based leathers, fibers, and packaging alternatives. Ecoatex focuses on making the raw materials and feedstock to sell to existing manufacturers, allowing the fashion and packaging industries to easily swap out plastics for sustainable, earth-friendly options.

Also, the aesthetic appeal of her work requires no artificial enhancement.

“If you want to make different shades of brown, you can just use [differently colored] nuts and not use any kind of pigment,” said Saremi. “It’s basically a mixture of science and art.”

Every material Saremi develops is engineered to support circular, end-of-life pathways, ensuring that what comes from the earth can safely return to it.

“In five to 10 years, we hope to be at that stage,” Saremi said. “Selling tons and tons of raw materials to manufacturers and converters.”

Story by Melania Pacheco. Photography by Brandon Ward. This story originally appeared on the UGA Research home page.