Business Opportunities Weblog

Inventor Turns Discarded Coconut Shells Into Clothing

By on October 28, 2009 in Inventions

More than 60 clothing companies, including well known brands like Adidas, Eddie Bauer and Dockers, are using a material designed by a Colorado company which employs coconut shells to create clothes that dry faster, smell better and save energy while laundering reports 9News.com.

It may sound crazy, but Boulder-based Cocona actually uses carbon from left over coconut shells in clothing products. The company started in 2000, when the company’s founder began looking for ways to utilize activated carbon to adsorb chemical agents, so it wouldn’t come in contact with the users’ skin as part of a chemical defense project.

That process turned out to be too messy, so Dr. Gregory Haggquist began looking for a way to use the carbon to limit smells in sweaty clothing.

As part of the process, he used tiny bits of coconut carbon, which are too small to be used by companies that create water filtration units, and looked for a way to combine the molecules with yarn and thread.

“The aha moment was the methodology was how to put these particles into yarn so they stay in there permanently and still have the added functionality we’re looking for,” Haggquist explained.

The best part is that each of the features Cocona provides to a piece of clothing makes it greener too. Cocona products require less time in the dryer because of their quick drying properties and needs less washing because of its ability to absorb odors.

Photo by Cocona.

clothing eco-friendly

Rich Whittle has added 6,226 posts to Business Opportunities Weblog.

Another Idea: How to Start a Clothing And Accessories Design Business

  • Trish

    What a grat concept! Very exciting.

    I think you may find this interesting/exciting too:

    I am a huge fan of talk radio, and am also a business person constantly looking for sound ideas for income strategies. So when I heard Janet Switzer (marketing mogul for the Chicken Soup Series) on Conversations Live with Vicki St.Clair recently it was really inspiring. Conversations Live with Vicki St.Clair is hosted on Seattle’s KKNW every Monday, noon PT.

    On this segment, Janet Switzer introduced her new book called Instant Income: Strategies that bring in Cash for Small Businesses, Innovative Employees, and Occasional Entrepreneurs. The book and her radio interview shares some 20 years of marketing and advertising experience that’s invaluable. To learn all about her proven business tips for yourself, you can listen to the full podcast here:

    http://conversationslive.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=188&Itemid=29

    ENJOY!

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