Former UNC-Chapel Hill professors Matthew Parrott and Chris Luft are ushering the polyester industry into a more sustainable era.
Nearly 80% of ripped jeans and old dresses end up in landfills, incinerators, or the ocean. But what if all those jeans could be transformed into something else that’s useful — like new seatbelts for cars? That’s one of many opportunities that Matthew Parrott and Chris Luft have been working on for the last seven years.
That’s one of many opportunities that Matthew Parrott and Chris Luft have been working on for the last seven years. Parrott is the research and development director, and Luft is the scientific implementation officer of a textile impact company called Syre. The duo designed a new plastic recycling system while at UNC–Chapel Hill, which they exclusively licensed from the university in 2016. Their goal: to revolutionize the polyester production industry through sustainability and efficiency.
From the early stages of Parrott’s work, Innovate Carolina’s Patent Landscaping and Market Research Services team helped Premirr Plastics identify the scope of opportunities for intellectual property development. The team also researched the size of the market specific to the technology to help Parrott and Luft pitch for funding and partnerships. In addition, Premirr Plastics received funding support from Innovate Carolina’s KickStart Venture Services, which supports research-based startup creation and growth by providing education, early-stage funding and on-campus accelerator space.
| UNC-CH