Natural Fiber Welding raises $15 million

The plant-based textile firm Natural Fiber Welding (NFW) has raised $15 million from firms including the venture capital arm of BMW. NFW says it will use the money to further scale up production of its leather-like Mirum material and its cotton-like Clarus. Earlier this year, NFW added more than 10,000 m² of manufacturing space. With the expanded output, the firm plans to offer its textiles to automakers. NFW’s technology combines plant fibers to make longer strands, enabling better materials properties and eliminating the degradation that normally limits fiber recycling.