You've never met a material like MIRUM®

MIRUM® is a categorically new, plant-based material that is perfect for footwear, fashion, automotive, accessories, and upholstery — 100% plastic-free. MIRUM®’s miraculous customizability means it can look like anything from leather to carbon fiber. MIRUM® is a high-performance solution for designers and brands looking to shrink their footprint and expand their creative palettes. At the end of its life, MIRUM® can be recycled into new MIRUM® or ground up and safely returned to the earth: At last, a climate-friendly, plastic-free option. 

BENEFITS:  

  • 100% NATURAL INPUTS
  • ZERO PLASTICS
  • LOW CARBON
  • RECYCLABLE
  • BIONEUTRAL
  • SUSTAINABLE
  • NATURALLY CIRCULAR

FEATURES:  

  • LUXURIOUS HAND FEEL
  • FOOTWEAR-WORTHY PERFORMANCE 
  • HIGHLY DURABLE 
  • EASY TO CLEAN 
  • UNCOMPROMISING STYLE

MIRUM® is a 100% biobased material, as certified by the USDA.

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Making MIRUM®: The Secret Behind our Low Carbon Footprint

MIRUM is unique in its ability to deliver functionality, durability, and aesthetic beauty without relying on petrochemical or synthetic inputs. This is in stark contrast to many other “sustainable” materials on the market. Those materials, while having a biomass component, must rely on plastics to deliver their functionality; they are “petroleum enabled” materials. A PU coating on a plant-based substrate is not the answer to the industry’s sustainability and circularity challenges. 

With a carbon footprint an order of magnitude lower than the competition, MIRUM® is the sustainable solution for designers and brands looking to shrink their footprint and expand their creative palettes. 

Ingredients

The low carbon footprint of MIRUM is a testament to NFW’s comprehensive approach to scalable, all-natural and circular solutions. Throughout our three-stage process, we have made decisions to optimize our impact in ways that result in our low number.  

It all begins with ingredient selection. At NFW, our materials start natural and stay natural, lowering their impact on the environment from start to finish. MIRUM is made with natural nutrient and bioneutral ingredients, never plastics or petrochemicals. This allows us to completely circumvent negative impacts such as microplastics, toxic chemicals, and dyes leaching out at the end of life. Using plant inputs allows us to support the positive benefits of agriculture. By utilizing regenerative farming practices we can help sink carbon by building healthy soil through photosynthesis. 

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Manufacturing

After ingredients are selected, we mix and form our ingredients into MIRUM that our brand partners use to make bags, shoes, automotive interiors, and more. MIRUM is made in the USA at our facility in Peoria, Illinois, which  utilizes renewable wind energy.  

The MIRUM manufacturing process does not require additional water inputs besides what is represented in the natural ingredients. This means there is no effluent (wastewater) discharge generated from the making of MIRUM. 

Finishing

Lastly, we impart texture and mold the MIRUM composite material onto fabric backers in a single step. During the finishing process, the natural rubber-based MIRUM is heated and pressed to a natural fabric backing. During this process, the MIRUM naturally flows into the backing, bonding the two together without the need for glues for synthetic laminates.

MIRUM is currently being produced in 68x70cm panels. In 2023 MIRUM will be available in linear meters or yards, with a 54" cuttable width.

For more information on available textures and backers, check out our available SKUs.

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End of Life

Like all NFW materials, MIRUM® is designed to meet the highest standards of circularity: nature’s.  

MIRUM® is the first material of its kind designed to be both 100% recyclable and 100% circular in nature. Because MIRUM® does not contain any petrochemicals or plastics, MIRUM® can return its nutrients to the earth safely at the end of its life. The bag shown on the left is made from recycled MIRUM® product and scraps.

Learn more about NFW’s approach to circularity. 

Ready to get started with MIRUM®?

Create something in line with your values without compromising on performance or artistry.