• About
  • Top Stories
  • Topics

    Green Energy News

    Solar News
    Hydrogen News
    Nuclear News
    Wind News
    Hydropower News

    Transportation News

    Electric Vehicle (EV) News
    Fuel Cell News
    Aviation News
    Public Transit News
    Commercial / Shipping News

    Sustainable Agriculture News

    Biomass Energy News
    Biofuel News
    Agtech News

    Utility News

    Smart Meter News
    Energy Storage News
    Demand Response News

    Environment News

    Recycling News
    Water News
    Pollution News

    Smart Cities News

    Energy Efficiency News
    Internet of Things (IoT) News

    Climate News

    Decarbonization News
    Climate Tech News

    Green Tech Innovation News

    Robotics News
    Nanotech News
    Batteries

  • Contact
No Results
View all Results
  • About
  • Top Stories
  • Topics

    Green Energy News

    Solar News
    Hydrogen News
    Nuclear News
    Wind News
    Hydropower News

    Transportation News

    Electric Vehicle (EV) News
    Fuel Cell News
    Aviation News
    Public Transit News
    Commercial / Shipping News

    Sustainable Agriculture News

    Biomass Energy News
    Biofuel News
    Agtech News

    Utility News

    Smart Meter News
    Energy Storage News
    Demand Response News

    Environment News

    Recycling News
    Water News
    Pollution News

    Smart Cities News

    Energy Efficiency News
    Internet of Things (IoT) News

    Climate News

    Decarbonization News
    Climate Tech News

    Green Tech Innovation News

    Robotics News
    Nanotech News
    Batteries

  • Contact
No Results
View all Results
Home Green Tech Innovation News

Banana fibers to braids: St. Louis startup’s sustainable synthetic hair wins cleantech innovation award

Katie Pyzyk by Katie Pyzyk
August 4, 2021
Rebundle's less irritating, more environmentally friendly hair braid is the first plant-based, biodegradable braiding hair made in the U.S.

Rebundle's less irritating, more environmentally friendly braiding hair is the first plant-based, biodegradable synthetic hair made in the U.S. Credit: Rebundle / Courtesy

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

An old adage highlights how humans sacrifice comfort for style. St. Louis entrepreneur Ciara Imani May doesn’t believe it has to be an either-or equation.

May set out on a mission to create a less irritating, more sustainable hair braid made from natural fibers. Last month, May’s startup, Rebundle, won a cleantech award for its innovation: the first plant-based, biodegradable braiding hair made in the U.S.

The problem

Ciara Imani May
Ciara Imani May, founder of Rebundle.

May recognized trouble a few summers ago when she was wearing synthetic braids that began to irritate her scalp. This irritation is not uncommon — synthetic hair extensions typically contain harmful chemicals and are made from plastics, some of which are petroleum-based.

On top of aggravating skin, synthetic braids tend to be manufactured from materials that are not environmentally friendly. An estimated 30 million pounds of plastic synthetic hair ends up in landfills in the U.S. each year, May said.

“I was trying to live sustainably and realized I couldn’t do that with my braids,” May said. “I was looking for something that would be healthy and sustainable. I didn’t find anything that would meet my needs, so I decided I could figure out how to make it myself.” 

The solution

May began work on Rebundle about two years ago, and the business launched its first products in January. She discovered a way to create nontoxic synthetic hair products in a variety of colors out of fibers derived from banana stems. Rebundle manufactures its products in St. Louis.

“Launching a product was challenging because this hadn’t been done before here in the U.S., so there are not a lot of examples to consider or follow,” May said. “We’ve been doing everything from scratch for the most part.” 

Users can compost this synthetic hair when they are finished with it. Rebundle also offers a recycling program, through which it collects the used hair so it can be repurposed into new materials. So far, they have received more than 200 pounds of it.

Rebundle won the 2021 U.S. Bank Foundation Cleantech Inclusion Award, which the Clean Energy Trust and U.S. Bank Foundation grants to entrepreneurs who are women or people of color and building innovative companies that benefit the environment, create jobs, and drive economic development. The startup will receive a $25,000 grant and 12 months of business mentorship and programming.

“Ciara identified a personal, consumer problem, and solved it using an environmentally forward business perspective,” said Erik Birkerts, CEO at Clean Energy Trust.

May said she is excited to work with the partners to highlight Rebundle’s sustainability.

“It’s part of the ethos of our brand and it’s also really important to me,” she said.

What’s next

May said she’s focused on scaling up Rebundle and hiring more employees for the four-person team to keep up with demand. Right now, the business sells out of new products shortly after they are released.

“It probably looks like we’re a much larger company than we are,” May said. “We’re just trying to grow and improve our products.” 

May anticipates that in the next year Rebundle will move into a larger warehouse space to allow for more production capacity.

“We want to serve as many customers as we can. We’re trying to make a dent in the pollution from plastic waste in the synthetic hair industry,” May said. The future might also bring the ability to “be able to measure exactly how much carbon we’re offsetting by selling our products vs. customers buying plastic products.”

Centered is your cleantech news source for the Midwest

Subscribe to receive free weekday news updates



    Previous Post

    Power up: Indiana team’s electrified concrete could charge vehicles as they drive

    Next Post

    Bus stop sensors show Chicago’s localized air pollution

    Related News

    Madison-based C-Motive Technologies touts its highly efficient electrostatic motor as "the most sustainable motor ever developed."

    Feeling clingy: Wisconsin startup reinvents electric motors with static cling

    by Katie Pyzyk
    June 9, 2022
    0

    Madison-based C-Motive Technologies touts its highly efficient electrostatic motor as "the most sustainable motor ever developed."

    The tiny walking robot stands on the edge of a coin. Credit: Northwestern University

    Engineers develop tiny robot that moves without electricity

    by Katie Pyzyk
    May 26, 2022
    0

    Northwestern University engineers have created what they’re calling the smallest-ever, remote-controlled walking robot.

    Next Post
    An interactive map displays environmental data collected by bus stop sensors in Chicago.

    Bus stop sensors show Chicago’s localized air pollution

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Centered is your cleantech news source for the Midwest

    Subscribe to receive free weekday news updates



      Trending News

      An artistic rendering of the electrocatalytic process for converting carbon dioxide and water into ethanol.

      Cleaner carbon capture: Researchers test catalysts to convert CO2 to fuel

      July 15, 2021

      On the right track: Tracking tech and analytics are transforming supply chain management

      May 13, 2020
      Lowering the carbon footprint for one of the world’s most commonly produced chemicals

      Lowering the carbon footprint for one of the world’s most commonly produced chemicals

      December 2, 2020

      Popular Topics

      • Green Tech Innovation News
      • Transportation News
      • Green Energy News
      • Electric Vehicle (EV) News
      • Environment News
      • Water News
      • Batteries
      • Sustainable Agriculture News
      • Solar News
      • Energy Efficiency
      • Climate News
      • Smart Cities News
      • Agtech News
      • Decarbonization News
      • Recycling News
      • Utility News
      • Hydrogen News
      • Wind News
      • Biofuel News
      • Nanotech News
      • Electrical Grid News
      • Aviation News
      • Biomass Energy News
      • Robotics News
      • Energy Storage News
      • Pollution News
      • Nuclear News
      • Commercial / Shipping News
      • Climate Tech News
      • Hydropower News
      • Fuel Cell News
      • Smart Meter News
      • Internet of Things (IoT) News
      Centered



      © 2022 Centered. All Rights Reserved.

      Centered is a publication of the Energy News Network, in partnership with the Illinois Science and Energy Innovation Foundation.

      • Privacy
      • Terms of Use
      No Results
      View all Results
      • About
      • Top Stories
      • Topics
        • Green Energy News
        • Transportation News
        • Sustainable Agriculture News
        • Electrical Grid News
        • Environment News
        • Smart Cities News
        • Climate News
        • Green Tech Innovation News
      • Contact

      Centered. All Rights Reserved.

      Centered is your cleantech news source for the Midwest

      Subscribe to receive a free daily roundup of underreported technology stories from around the region.



        Contact Us