Ebay’s Circular Fashion Innovator of the Year: Refiberd

Ebay’s Circular Fashion Innovator of the Year has been revealed as Refiberd.

The online marketplace announced on Wednesday the tech company which has an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tool that turns would-be textile waste into new usable fibres had beaten other finalists, which included UK-based repair platform Sojo.

Some 12 businesses from the US, UK, Germany, and Australia were shortlisted, but Refiberd “stood out”, according to Kirsty Keoghan general manager for global fashion at eBay, who was commenting on LinkedIn.

“By enabling more efficient recycling, Refiberd aims to tackle the industry’s waste-sorting dilemma and drive true circularity in fashion,” she noted.

“A special shoutout to our visionary finalists — Shopfront, Sojo, and Moot – we can’t wait to see what you do next.”

Sojo’s door-to-door repairs service was enough to win the UK award, while Moot’s end-to-end upcycling plug-in enabling its partners to integrate scalable upcycling solutions with minimal effort won the German competition.  Shopfront’s use of AI to help fashion sellers list products on multiple marketplaces led it to the Australian prize.

They all made the final shortlist but it was US-based Refiberd which achieved the overall win.

Exact funding for each business involved in eBay’s Circular Fashion Innovator of the Year competition has not been made clear, but the winner receives a $300,000 investment from eBay Ventures, the marketplace’s venture capital arm.

[image credit: eBay]