In Partnership With: The Lancashire Wildlife Trust

In 2025, Ponda will began harvesting at a brand-new site in partnership with the Lancashire Wildlife Trust - an exciting milestone in our mission to restore wetlands and create regenerative materials. The Trust’s work to protect and rewet peatlands across the North West aligns perfectly with our vision: turning degraded landscapes into thriving ecosystems that sustain both wildlife and innovation.

This collaboration will see typha (commonly known as bulrush or cattail) flourishing in Lancashire’s rewetted peatlands — absorbing carbon, restoring biodiversity, and improving soil health. These wetlands will not only provide a vital habitat for local species but will also supply the natural material behind our pioneering BioPuff® insulation. Together, we’re showing how conservation and design can work hand in hand to shape a more sustainable future for fashion.

The fashion industry is leaving a deep and damaging mark on our planet. Waterways are polluted with toxic dyes and chemicals, natural resources are being depleted, and landfills are overflowing with discarded garments. Behind the glossy marketing lies a system built on overproduction, exploitation, and waste.

With little transparency or legislation, many brands are not required to disclose where or how their clothes are made. This leaves consumers in the dark about the true cost of their wardrobes. Meanwhile, fast fashion continues to thrive. In the last decade alone, clothing consumption has increased by more than a third, driven by cheap, easily accessible online brands.

But behind every fabric lies one of the world’s most polluting industries. Fashion accounts for around 10% of global carbon emissions and uses more water than any sector except agriculture. Cotton fields demand vast irrigation, while polyester relies on fossil fuels. The result is an environmental footprint that is impossible to ignore.

The impact is not just environmental. It is social and economic too. The fashion system depends on an extractive model that takes from both people and nature. Garments are produced in enormous volumes, sold cheaply, and discarded quickly, eroding ecosystems while offering little long-term value to communities.

Yet, as always, nature holds the answers. Working with natural materials can help us rebalance this relationship, but only if done carefully. Poor harvesting or rushed innovation can easily harm the ecosystems we aim to protect. True sustainability requires expertise, patience, and a genuine commitment to regeneration.

At Ponda, we are showing what that can look like. We work with typha, a wetland reed also known as bulrush or cattail, to create BioPuff®, our innovative plant-based insulation material. By restoring and managing wetland habitats, we produce textiles that not only reduce environmental harm but actively support biodiversity and carbon capture.

At Ponda, we believe the future of fashion lies in materials that work with nature, not against it. As a biomaterials company, we develop regenerative textiles that connect the restoration of ecosystems with the creation of responsible materials for the fashion industry. Our mission is simple: to empower brands to weave regeneration into every garment they make.

Our flagship innovation, BioPuff®, is cruelty-free, fully traceable from plant to puffer, and a powerful example of how science and sustainability can go hand in hand. We are proud to collaborate with pioneering brands including Stella McCartney, Parley for the Oceans, and Berghaus, helping them create products that perform brilliantly without compromising the planet.

Our partnership with Lancashire Wildlife Trust is a particularly exciting step. Typha thrives in rewetted peatlands — absorbing carbon, restoring biodiversity, and improving soil health. The soft, lightweight fibres from its seed heads can be transformed into a versatile textile with huge potential for fashion and beyond. Unlike cotton or synthetics, bulrush requires no pesticides and grows abundantly in restored landscapes, offering both environmental and economic benefits.

By championing materials like bulrush, we can reimagine fashion as a regenerative system, one that values ecosystems and communities as much as creativity and design. Every stitch can tell a story, and with nature-led innovation, that story can be one of renewal.