You probably already know that using animals to make materials like leather has a lot of downsides. But using petro-chemicals and intensive crops like cotton, while better than animal products, is still pretty suboptimal for the planet.

Keel Labs thinks it has a better idea. Rather than relying on animals or terrestrial plant agriculture, it’s seeking to use kelp—yep, seaweed—to make the next generation of materials. Kelp grows much more quickly than land-based plants, sucks C02 out of the air, requires no water, fertilizer, or pesticide inputs, and generally speaking makes the oceans healthier. 

Conceived by undergrad students in 2017, the company has now raised nearly $20 million from venture capitalists betting that kelp will be the next big thing, has two dozen employees, and is making kelp-based yarns at its North Carolina headquarters.

In case you're as maritime-challenged as I am and don’t know what “keel” means, a keel is the structural spine of a ship, from the bow to the stern, functioning to create balance between the ocean and to keep a ship's momentum moving forward.

The B2B company doesn’t intend to sell its own kelp clothing as much as it intends to produce the natural yarn that fashion designers can use to create humane, climate-friendly materials. 

Are the tides turning for sustainable materials? Keel Labs co-founder Aleks Gosiewski thinks so and sees an ocean of opportunity in kelp. Enjoy hearing her inspirational story.

Discussed in this episode

• Keel won the Biodesign Challenge competition.

• Keel Labs went through the Indie Bio accelerator.

• Horizons Ventures invested in Keel Labs.

• Keel Labs was once housed in the same space as Modern Meadow.

• Modern Meadow spun off the cultivated meat company Fork and Good.

• Our past episode with Pinatex (leather from pineapple leaves).

• Aleks recommends reading Bio Design, Material Ecology, Shoe Dog, and Steve Jobs

• Aleks thinks you should attend the Design Indaba conference in South Africa

• After the interview, Aleks confirmed that the organisms that Kelsun is exposed to during composting or landfilling are much more varied (and suited to use carbohydrates as food) and numerous than the organisms present during regular wear or use of Kelsun. She says Keel has further validated this by conducting in-house vermicompost tests and official marine and landfill biodegradation tests.

More about Aleks Gosiewski

Aleksandra Gosiewski is the Co-Founder & COO of Keel Labs, an innovation platform expanding the potential of the ocean to accelerate the planet’s development towards a more sustainable future. With a background in fashion design and economics, Aleks is driving the development of Keel Labs’ business and R&D operations to scale the production of Kelsun, the company’s flagship product. As a systems thinker, Aleks connects the dots between supply chain logistics, financial planning, and business development. Aleks is a Forbes 30 Under 30 member, a testament to her unique and pioneering perspective on the intersection of science and design.