Sustainability Safari at Nettle Circle

Founded in 2020, Nettle Circle is developing HILAYA®, a nettle fiber from the Himalayan region that requires significantly less water than cotton and can be traced back to the end product thanks to physical marking. HILAYA® is produced in socially anchored supply chains that provide additional income to local communities in Nepal and the region.

At the same time, Nettle Circle is working in Switzerland and Europe to establish nettles as a locally cultivated fiber plant and to use the entire plant, from fiber to insulation and nonwoven materials to lining and biomass products. The goal: scalable, circular value creation with as little waste as possible, locally and globally.

Driven by the vision of a European fiber revolution, founder Cornelia Bamert is cooperating with partners such as ETH, HSLU, SUPSI, ZHAW and industry players, sharing experiences from Innosuisse programs and showing how an independent startup without a spin-off structure is gradually building up its technology, market, and business model. She also shares what kind of collaborators she is currently looking for to achieve this.