This week, Protein Evolution, Inc. (PEI) — a biological recycling startup with the mission to build a world without plastic waste — launched an R&D collaboration with fashion icon Stella McCartney to trailblaze the future of sustainable fashion.

Joining the ranks of mixed-textile recycling innovators including Worn Again and Circle Economy, Protein Evolution’s recent company launch introduced new technology that transforms textile and plastic waste into the valuable chemical building blocks of new textile and plastic products. Now PEI’s proprietary process will focus on mixed textile waste, including polyesters and nylons — addressing one of the greatest problems facing the global textile industry today.