Problem: Milk Waste 

In Germany every year 1.9 million tons of good milk is disposed of . This waste is costing manufacturers, as well as contributing to food waste and landfill overspill.

Technology: “When Technology Meets Fashion” by Charles Morley

In 2011, German micro-biology student, Anke Domaske, discovered t a way to make textiles out of milk, tea and coffee beans. She then launched Qmilk, which produces fabrics made from 100% biodegradable/renewable materials, mainly raw cow milk. In order to do this “you add the protein powder – it looks like flour – to water and you mix it into a dough. Then there’s a nozzle at the end with teeny tiny holes that put out textile fibres instead of noodles”. Qmilk 1 kg of fiber only needs 5 minutes to produce and max. 2 liters of water, this means it can be more cost efficient as well as produce fewer CO2 emissions. finally, it is naturally antibacterial, which means it can be used for those with sensitive skin or textile allergies.

Stakeholders:

Qmilk tech engineers/designers

Technological partners

Investors

Fashion designers

Clothing retailers

Customers

Implementation:

In order to implement this technology on a large-scale, a number of investors need to be introduced

Qmilk is a small company, based in Germany. In order to spread the technology, it must be introduced to the US market and other European countries that have a big influence in the fashion industry.

Fashion designers must begin to use the technology to introduce the innovation to the public and encourage its usage down the supply chain i.e. factories and low-end designers/retailers.

Sources:

http://de.qmilk.eu/presite/index_en.html

https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sour-milk-fibres-textiles-qmilk