Material
Nº 02 · THE MATERIAL
MADE FROM PLANTS.
Seaweed, wood, castor beans and corn. Four plant sources make every fibre in the knit. No petroleum-derived polyester, nylon or spandex.
THE COMPOSITION
| Share | Fibre | Made from | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49% | Seaweed-enriched cellulose | Wild-harvested seaweed, built into a cellulose fibre made from FSC-certified wood pulp | Soft against the skin |
| 44% | Bio-nylon | Castor beans | Strength and structure. Replaces petroleum nylon |
| 7% | Bio-elastane | Corn | Stretch in every direction, then back to shape. Replaces petroleum spandex |
Every fibre is certified bio-based, with certificates held for each. The composition is patent pending.
THE REST OF THE GARMENT
- Black: seamless knit, OEKO-TEX certified pigment, micro-algae finish.
- Natural: undyed. The colour is the fibre's own.
- Labels: paper, stitched on in cotton.
LOWER IMPACT, MEASURED
- Bio-nylon: 25% lower CO2 than standard nylon (life cycle assessment).
- Bio-elastane: 20% lower greenhouse gas emissions than standard elastane (life cycle assessment).
AT END OF LIFE
The cellulose fibres degrade in soil in approximately 41 days, in independent laboratory testing by TITK at fibre level. That applies to the cellulose only. The bio-nylon and bio-elastane are new fibres, and their biodegradation testing is only now beginning.
WHERE IT COMES FROM
Fibres sourced in Europe and Asia. Made in China. Designed in Australia.
Patent pending material
Every fibre starts as a plant.
Seaweed, wood, castor beans and corn. No petroleum-derived polyester, nylon or spandex.
Tested before it reached you.
Every fabric we put into a nōht garment is sent to an independent laboratory before we sign it off. These are the full results: what it is made from, what it is certified against, and how it performed.
Qualspec Products Quality Service
Report CS26070796, 17 August 2026
Report CS26070581, 27 July 2026
Black: pigment plus a bio-based finish. Natural: undyed, bio-based finish only.
Four sources, three fibres.
Seaweed-enriched cellulose
Sits against the skin. Seaweed built into a cellulose fibre made from FSC-certified wood pulp.
Bio-nylon, from castor oil
Strength and structure, in place of petroleum nylon.
Bio-elastane, from corn
Stretch in every direction, then back to shape, in place of petroleum spandex.
No petroleum-derived polyester, nylon or spandex. The composition is patent pending.
Independent third-party certification.
Seaweed-enriched cellulose
Certified to OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 Class I, the same tier used for baby articles. Holder of the EU Ecolabel, and certified biobased by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under its BioPreferred® programme.
Bio-nylon
Certified bio-based through radiocarbon testing (ASTM D6866) and DIN CERTCO certification, with a full life cycle assessment. Certified to OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 Class I, the same tier used for baby articles.
Bio-elastane
Certified bio-based, and certified to OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 Class I, the same tier used for baby articles.
Garment dye
Dyeing and finishing at an OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 Class II certified facility, the tier for fabrics in direct, prolonged skin contact. Finished garments tested by Qualspec for 22 restricted amines from azo dyes: none detected, at a detection limit of 5 mg/kg against a 30 mg/kg limit.
Bio-based treatment
Conformant to ZDHC MRSL Level 3, the highest tier of the industry's Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals programme.
Tested for 54 restricted substances, and passed.
Heavy metals, azo dyes, formaldehyde, phthalates, PFAS and BPA: the substances international regulation restricts in clothing. Both colourways were screened for every one.
Restricted substances tested in each colourway, across six test groups.
Results are below the lowest measurable markers.
Not detected at all, including BPA and formaldehyde.
For context: in 2022 the Center for Environmental Health sent legal notices to several sportswear brands after finding BPA in polyester and spandex sports bras and athletic shirts, at levels it said could expose wearers to up to 22 times California's safe harbour limit. In our fabric, BPA was not detected, in either colourway.
Results from independent laboratory reports by Qualspec Products Quality Service: Black, report CS26070796; Natural, report CS26070581. Both colourways returned the same results. "Below" means under the lowest level the lab reports; "not detected" means under the lab's stated detection limit. Margins are calculated from those levels, so actual margins are at least as wide.
How it holds up.
These are not government-regulated tests, so there is no legal pass or fail. The lab benchmarks each result against quality tiers, and we hold ourselves to the top one. Results are for the Core Tank in Black, finished and pre-shrunk (Qualspec CS26070796).
"Particularly strong results in chemical compliance and colour fastness."
Qualspec Products Quality Service, independent laboratory assessment
The same standard, every production run.
We are formalising this process into a standing Test and Quality Manual, so every future production run is measured against the same benchmarks: not only what is legally required, but what we think good should mean. The full lab report is available on request.
Made from plants, not polyester.
Conventional activewear is polyester, nylon and spandex, all made from oil. Ours is seaweed-enriched cellulose, bio-nylon from castor beans and bio-elastane from corn. Line by line, the two compare like this.
Sources: OEKO-TEX; Qualspec; Dermatest; Center for Environmental Health, 2022 (BPA in sports bras); Mamavation and Environmental Health News, 2022 (organic fluorine in leggings); TÜV Austria life cycle assessment (bio-nylon); fibre producer data (bio-elastane); TITK soil degradation test (cellulose fibres only, fibre level). Biodegradation testing of the bio-nylon and bio-elastane is only now beginning.