In episode 174 of the Disruptors for GOOD podcast, I speak with Phoebe Yu and Kat Dey, Co-founders of ettitude, on leading the way in creating sustainable and eco-friendly fabrics for the world to sleep on.

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Ettitude is a sustainable brand that has made a name for itself in the bedding industry by offering high-quality, eco-friendly bedding products that are as comfortable as they are sustainable.

The company offers a wide range of bedding products that are made from 100% bamboo lyocell, a material that is known for its softness, breathability, and durability.

Unlike traditional cotton bedding, which requires a significant amount of water and pesticides to grow, bamboo is a highly sustainable and renewable resource that requires little water and no pesticides.

The brands commitment to sustainability goes beyond just using eco-friendly materials. The company also takes great care in its production processes to minimize waste and reduce its carbon footprint.

One of the standout products from Ettitude is their signature Bamboo Lyocell Sheet Set, made from their exclusive, sustainable CleanBamboo™ fabric.

These sheets are incredibly soft and silky to the touch, making them the perfect addition to any bedroom. They’re also highly breathable and moisture-wicking, which means you’ll stay cool and comfortable throughout the night.

What does ettitude mean?

Ettitude is is a blend for eco-attitude.

Ennovative (eco-innovation) with the fabrics and processes that are rooted in nature and regeneration.

Conscious of the impact on our planet, the community and educating those around us.

Optimistic for change and proactively helping to better our earth’s future.

“ettitude is on a mission to create next-gen fabrics and products that reduce our impact and support the health of the planet. We’re here to make a material difference in the home and textiles industries for a more sustainable, regenerative future for all.” – ettitude founders

What is the Ettitude CleanBamboo™ fabric?

CleanBamboo fabric is made from 100% bamboo lyocell fibers that have been processed using a closed-loop production system.

This means that the chemicals and water used in the production process are continually recycled, reducing the amount of waste that is generated and minimizing the impact on the environment.

The production of CleanBamboo fabric also uses significantly less water than the production of traditional cotton or even conventional bamboo fabrics.

Bamboo is known for its ability to grow with little water, but traditional bamboo fabric production still requires a significant amount of water to process the fibers.

In contrast, CleanBamboo fabric uses up to 10 times less water than traditional cotton sheets. Not only is CleanBamboo fabric sustainable and eco-friendly, but it’s also incredibly soft and comfortable.

The bamboo lyocell fibers used in CleanBamboo fabric are naturally breathable, moisture-wicking, and hypoallergenic, making it a great choice for anyone with sensitive skin or allergies.

CleanBamboo fabric is used in a variety of Ettitude bedding products, including sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases, and even bathrobes.

Customers rave about the silky, soft feel of CleanBamboo fabric, as well as its ability to regulate temperature and wick away moisture.

Overall, CleanBamboo fabric is a game-changer for the bedding industry, offering a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to traditional cotton or even conventional bamboo fabrics.

Ettitude’s commitment to using sustainable materials and production methods, combined with the luxurious feel of CleanBamboo fabric, makes Ettitude a standout company in the bedding industry.

About Phoebe Yu

Phoebe Yu is the Founder and CEO of ettitude, an award-winning material science and lifestyle company with the mission to reduce textiles’ harmful environmental impact dramatically.

While shopping for her home after moving to Melbourne, Australia, Phoebe spotted an opportunity within the bedding market to create sustainable luxury for less. With her vision of revolutionizing the bedding industry, Phoebe brings together entrepreneurial instincts, a passion for sustainability, and an understanding of fabric technology.

After years of testing materials, weaving and dying techniques, and harnessing a decade of experience in supply chain management, Phoebe perfected and launched ettitude’s innovative CleanBamboo fabric in 2014.

The manufacturing process is a clean alternative to the highly polluting textiles, cotton and viscose. In 2017, ettitude began expanding globally, opening a headquarters in Los Angeles the following year.

Ettitude was named an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private company in America in both 2020 & 2021.

Phoebe has been a guest lecturer on entrepreneurship and sustainability at several universities. Before ettitude, Phoebe founded two international trading and sourcing companies in Asia.

About Kat Dey

Kat Dey is a serial entrepreneur and executive, named one of “35 People to Watch”. She is Co-Founder & President of ettitude, the award-winning material science company with the mission to dramatically reduce the harmful environmental impact of textiles.

With its proprietary technologies, ettitude offers sustainable bedding, bath essentials, apparel and a variety of textiles made with CleanBamboo.

The manufacturing process is a clean alternative to the highly polluting cotton and viscose textiles. ettitude is Climate Neutral certified and a B Corp.

Prior to ettitude, Dey had a decade of experience scaling mission-driven brands. Her prior company was named by Crains NY as the #3 fastest growing company in New York before it was acquired in 2017.

Today Dey also serves as advisor and investor in several early stage companies.

Prior to her startup journey, Dey held strategy positions at Weight Watchers and Thomson Reuters, and received her MBA from Columbia Business School and her Bachelor’s Degree from Columbia University.

Kat and her companies have appeared in Fortune, Forbes, WSJ, LA Times, Today, FOX, BBC and more.

Overall, the company is committed to sustainability and providing customers with high-quality, comfortable bedding products.

With its focus on eco-friendly materials and production processes, Ettitude is a great choice for anyone who wants to make their bedroom a little more sustainable without sacrificing comfort or style.

Interview Transcript

00:10

Host: Well, thank you so much, Phoebe and Kat, for joining me today. Very excited to talk about both of your journeys and Ettitude’s mission and vision. Before we get into Ettitude, can you talk about why you decided to start the brand?

00:26

Phoebe Yu: This is Phoebe, I’m the founder and CEO of Ettitude. Ettitude has been established for nine years, and we just celebrated our anniversary a couple of days ago.

Host: Congratulations!

Phoebe: Thank you! I started Ettitude in Australia, and we later expanded into the US market and now operate globally. When I moved from China to Australia, I became aware of climate change and the environmental damage caused by the fashion and textile industries. That’s when I decided to do something about it. Ettitude means eco-attitude.

Our mission is to create sustainable, high-performance, better quality, and affordable products for conscious consumers. At the time, consumers were demanding better products, and I needed such products myself.

I found some interesting materials that could be used in the fashion industry, but there was no innovation in the home textile sector. The industry was still using materials invented thousands of years ago, like linen and silk, or newer materials like polyester, which is very harmful.

I wanted to find a better way, and that’s how I came across a bamboo technology that uses a clean and non-toxic method to process organic bamboo into high-quality fiber for textiles.

02:10

Kat Dey: I joined Ettitude four years ago after being an entrepreneur for a few years. I’ve been passionate about the wellness space for a decade and started my first company to deliver better quality food from around the world to your doorstep. After selling that company in 2017, I was advising early-stage companies and looking for the next big thing.

That’s when I met Phoebe online. She sent me Ettitude sheets, and I fell in love with the products. They were the best sheets I’d ever slept on, incredibly comfortable, breathable, soft, and moisture-wicking. My husband and I were so impressed that he insisted I join the company.

Ettitude’s products resonated with my personal values and my commitment to making a positive impact. We recently did a scientific study with a third-party lifecycle assessment agency, confirming that our products save 30% of carbon emissions and 99% of water compared to traditional textiles. This aligns with my passion for leaving a better planet for the next generation.

04:25

Host: There are many terms like non-toxic and organic that consumers might not fully understand. Can you explain what non-toxic bamboo textiles are and how they differ from traditional cotton or other textiles?

05:08

Phoebe: Sure. Chemicals in textiles come from two main sources: the growing process and the manufacturing process. Conventional cotton uses a lot of pesticides and fertilizers, which are harmful to the environment and farmers. Bamboo, on the other hand, grows organically and requires only rainwater.

Even organic cotton has a cleaner growing process but can still have harmful chemicals if not processed correctly.

Traditional methods to process bamboo, like rayon or viscose, use toxic chemicals like caustic soda, which is harmful to workers and the environment.

Our innovation at Ettitude uses non-toxic organic compounds to process bamboo in a closed-loop system, recycling the compounds and water. This preserves bamboo’s natural properties, making the fiber stronger and resulting in a product that is soft, smooth, and breathable.

Our products are OEKO-TEX Level One certified, meaning they are safe for babies and adults alike.

07:22

Kat: Some textiles are finished with formaldehyde, which is very harmful. We avoid all harmful chemicals in our process. It’s important to educate consumers that not all chemicals are bad, but they need to understand which ones are harmful.

Clean bamboo technology is part of our mission to create a movement for clean textiles, similar to the organic food and clean beauty movements.

Your skin is your largest organ, and it’s in contact with fabric all day, so it’s crucial to use safe materials.

09:09

Host: The movement towards organic food was a significant change over the past two decades. Now, we see a similar trend in the fashion and textile industry. Kat, coming from the food industry, what similarities and differences have you noticed transitioning to the textile industry?

10:04

Kat: There are many similarities. Both textiles and food are mostly made from plants, and both industries have significant environmental impacts. Cotton, for instance, is the dirtiest crop on Earth, releasing massive amounts of CO2 and using vast amounts of water, fertilizers, and pesticides.

This contributes to climate change, just like monoculture farming in the food industry. The textile industry needs a movement similar to regenerative farming, focusing on sustainable practices and reducing chemical use.

11:20

Host: Can you talk about how technology enables innovation in clean textiles at Ettitude?

11:47

Phoebe: Yes, technology plays a crucial role. The traditional method to process bamboo involves harmful chemicals. Our innovation uses non-toxic organic compounds to dissolve bamboo in a closed-loop system, recycling water and compounds. This preserves bamboo’s natural properties, resulting in stronger and better-quality fibers.

We have expanded our product range to include different weaves and blends, such as our new weekend-like cashmere made from bamboo. It feels like cashmere but is easier to care for and more sustainable. We continue to experiment with new fibers and collaborate with other innovators to expand the possibilities of sustainable textiles.

14:42

Host: As founders, how do you balance scaling your business while maintaining your sustainability goals?

15:19

Kat: Our products save significant resources compared to conventional textiles. For example, our bamboo textiles save 99% of water and 30% of CO2 emissions compared to cotton. These savings make us feel positive about scaling our business.

We offset our remaining emissions and are Climate Neutral certified. We also invest in scientific-based reduction targets and aim for full circularity in our products, working towards recycling used products into new fibers.

17:13

Phoebe: We have a recommerce program where customers can return their used Ettitude products. We recycle these products and are working on technologies to turn them back into fiber. This reduces the need for new raw materials and further minimizes our environmental impact.

18:30

Host: What advice would you give to other companies in the textile industry looking to incorporate sustainable practices?

19:14

Phoebe: Brands need to think long-term. Sustainable practices will soon be a requirement, not an option, as regulations tighten. Companies should start looking for sustainable materials and consider the entire lifecycle of their products.

20:07

Kat: Early-stage brands should think about the longevity of their products. How can they extend the product’s life, repair it, or make it last more than a season? There are third-party services that help with repair and recommerce. Brands should think holistically about sustainability.

20:59

Host: How do you see conscious consumerism evolving in America and globally?

21:54

Kat: I think it’s just starting. People are becoming more aware of the impact of their purchases. Textiles contribute 10% of global CO2 emissions, and consumers can make a difference by choosing sustainable products. Europe is ahead in this awareness, partly due to regulations. American consumers are just beginning to understand the environmental impact of textiles.

22:59

Phoebe: Australian consumers are also very eco-conscious. They have regulations banning single-use plastics and educating the public on recycling. This awareness inspired me to develop sustainable products.

23:41

Kat: There is growing awareness in America about harmful chemicals in textiles, like PFAS or forever chemicals. These chemicals are showing up in water and everyday products. Legislation is starting to address this issue, and consumers are becoming more informed.

24:36

Host: Are there any upcoming regulations in the US similar to those in Europe?

25:28

Kat: We don’t speak directly with lawmakers, but we are excited about the New York Fashion Act. It aims to regulate the fashion industry to reduce the use of harmful textiles and impose significant fines for non-compliance. This creates more awareness and pushes for better practices.

26:34

Host: What are your goals for Ettitude in the next three to five years?

27:34

Phoebe: We aim to keep innovating with new fiber technologies and working towards 100% circularity. We want to collaborate with other brands to replace traditional non-sustainable materials and expand our product range to include more sustainable options.

28:42

Kat: We want to replace as much cotton, viscose, Tencel, Lyocell, cashmere, and silk as possible with our sustainable alternatives. Partnering with other brands to improve their impact is also a key goal.

29:04

Host: Thank you for sharing your insights and for leading the way in sustainable textiles. Best of luck to Ettitude in the years to come.

Phoebe and Kat: Thank you!