Anke Domaske’s discovery may have create a giant eco-opportunity for both farmer and fiber-makers around the world.
Domaske’s cloth fibers are made from all natural resources, without any chemicals. In the entire process, Domaske only uses waste milk, and she said it takes merely two litres of water to create a kilogram of cloth, which sells for about 27 dollars. Furthermore, Domaske’s company, QMilk boasts that there is zero waste created in the process.
Because of health and safety standards, German farmers throw out around 2 million tonnes of milk every year – enough to fill 770 Olympic-size swimming pools.
QMilk uses a tiny portion of that, 1,000 tonnes of waste milk each year, and pays about 4 cents a litre. The company works closely with around 20 farmers in Germany now, though Domaske has plans to expand significantly.
One such farmer is Bernd Pils, who has over 120 dairy cattle on his farm around 100 miles from Hanover. He explained that he cannot sell milk when his cows are feeding their calves, or are ill and taking medicine. But now he can sell it to Qmilk.
“I find this exciting,” he said, “because we always have a part of our milk that cannot be used for human consumption. So it’s great for sustainable development.”
The cloth is good at fighting off bacteria, silky-smooth to the touch, biodegradable, machine-washable, and keeps one cool in summer and warm in winter.
For several years now, Domaske has been selling clothing of her own design, as well as bolts of cloth to other designers. In the long term, she wants to sell to automakers, furniture companies and hospitals.
Domaske’s fibers have expanded their use – Italian paper company Lucart, purchased their milk-based fibre to incorporate into the regular toilet roll.
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Source: The Straits Times, 24 June 2017