Saltyco is a materials science company that creates planet-positive textiles. They do this by actively healing damaged ecosystems through their innovative materials supply chain. They use a sustainability ethos to guide every decision and action, from process to product. This is achieved by selecting resilient crops, rethinking regenerative agriculture and embedding sustainability into their novel technology. Following the principles of paludiculture, Saltyco's first product, Biopuff, uses plants grown on re-wetted peatlands. This type of cultivation allows the land to remain productive while sequestering carbon.
Saltyco's vision is to build a supply chain that heals the planet, and this starts with its approach to regenerative agriculture. There's no single solution to 'sustainability' and Saltyco's farming reflects this. Their farming practices focus on three elements: restoration, contextual farming and steady growth. To bring this vision to life, saltyco works with a community of farmers and conservation groups. By developing techniques that respond to exactly what each natural environment needs to heal, they can have the greatest impact when sourcing plant material. To bring this vision to life, saltyco works with a community of farmers and conservation groups. Developing products based on crops that use degraded land in a commercially viable way ensures that landowners can benefit from improved yields while contributing to the global fight against climate change. With increasing recognition of the need to avoid animal cruelty and the use of petrochemical derived materials, saltyco has identified opportunities for rural businesses to engage in this process in a way not commonly seen in UK agriculture. Very little rural produce currently goes into the fashion and textile industry, so this business offers the opportunity to become involved in a new and emerging sector of the UK economy. Saltyco's skills base covers a wide range of knowledge and the awards it has won to date demonstrate the high regard in which it is held throughout the sector.
Saltyco is going through a period of growth, having spent the last three years developing its product, attracting funding and gaining industry recognition around the world. The next stage is to increase the volume of their feedstock, and to this end they have recently recruited an agricultural supply manager. The company is looking to work with landowners across the country who have suitable wetlands on which to grow their crops. For the past two years they have been sourcing from natural wetlands near North Berwick, which has allowed them to carry out the product testing and marketing necessary to get to their current position. The source plant species grows rapidly if left unmanaged, so Saltyco's intervention has rebalanced the area, allowing other plant species to establish and attracting a diverse colonisation. Further agricultural activity on other suitable wetland sites will encourage habitat creation in a similar way, without compromising the crop. Biopuff is a unique product in the field of natural and sustainable textiles. It has a wide range of potential uses; as a thermal padding for outdoor clothing, as a softening filler for fashion garments and accessories, and is attracting interest from the automotive industry for vehicle upholstery.
The product design, fibre extraction and production techniques are all unique to saltyco and have been developed in collaboration with partners and business mentors across Europe. Arriving at the product has been an iterative process involving a number of testing methods to ensure the final result is of the highest quality and therefore competitive with traditional rivals in the sector. Saltyco is one of the first organisations to embrace paludiculture and was recently awarded a DEFRA grant for 'Developing a Scalable Blended Agri-carbon Model for Lowland Peat Restoration'. Objectives: Rewet lowland peat to grow plant fibre material for use as padding in clothing and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the peat. Sell the resulting carbon credits and also explore the market potential for water use savings, water quality improvements, biodiversity net gain credits and the potential to reduce flood risk. Since its launch in 2020, saltyco has enjoyed tremendous success thanks to the hard work and dedication of its marketing team. Promoting the company's ethos to the global community.