Oyster shells repurposed as magic eco-friendly fabric
Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells being repurposed into useful materials, which inspired him to create "Seawool," an eco-friendly fabric.
In his hometown of Yunlin, locals used burnt oyster shells to insulate homes, keeping them warm in winter and cool in summer. Curious about this, Wang decided to explore the shells' potential.
In 2010, Wang started Creative Tech Textile and initially produced eco-fabric from recycled plastic bottles. Seeking something unique, he partnered with a research institute to experiment with oyster shell residue. By 2013, he developed Seawool, a wool-like fabric made from these shells.
Wang’s factory in Tainan now processes around 100 tonnes of oyster shells annually to produce about 900 tonnes of Seawool. This fabric, generating around NT$200 million (US$6.1 million) per year, is used by outdoor and sustainable clothing brands in Europe and the U.S.
Taiwan harvests about 200,000 tonnes of oysters each year, resulting in around 160,000 tonnes of discarded shells. These shells often cause environmental problems, including odours and mosquito breeding sites.
Wang’s process involves grinding the shells into nanobeads and mixing them with yarn from recycled plastic bottles. Seawool, praised for its low thermal conductivity and minimal water use, is a low-carbon product.
