Changemaker Interview with Mi Terro Founder Robert Luo

“The pursuit of profit should first advance the good of society.”

Mi Terro is an LA-based startup that uses biotechnology to re-engineer food waste into sustainable fibers that can replace plastic in the fashion, medical, and packaging industries. 

The founder, Robert Luo, along with his team are using expired milk to create T-shirts even softer and more skin-friendly than cotton. Their philosophy is that we should npt just make something environmentally-friendly solely for the reason of being environmentally-friendly, but first and foremost, to give that product a high market value.

Seeds of Change volunteer Kawa chatted up with Robert last December to gather more details on their business and share them with our community in China to inspire others to look at problems as opportunities to create solutions, and create a healthier world. 

After all, as you will read below, the origins of Mi Terro is in China.

PART ONE – MI TERRO 

What brought you this idea? Why started with milk?

Robert: In the Summer of 2018, I paid a visit to my uncle's dairy farm in Qinghai, where buckets of milk were spoiled, causing huge food waste. Dumping all the spoiled milk down the drain not only meant that they were losing money, but it was also leading to environmental pollution. My uncle wondered if we could develop a solution to make use of the unsold milk. 

That is when and where I began my journey to find the solution: turning milk into clothing.

Wow, fast action, fast result. Do you have any plan to develop more sustainable fibers other than milk? 

Robert: Absolutely. While milk is one of the most wasted food products, it does not have a high protein content, meaning, that the supply of animal milk protein would never be high enough to meet any large-scale demand. It may only be a niche market. We are planning to extend our effort to other plant-based materials like soy protein, wine lees and other by-products of vitamin production.

You are an LA-based startup. Any plans to enter the China market?

Robert: We focus mostly on R&D and production in China, not yet to go live in China. If Chinese users are interested, they are always welcome to find the products on our website, though they are based out of, and made in the USA. We are a bit concerned whether the China market will have a high acceptance of sustainable products just like in some other countries. However, we are now starting to provide eco-friendly fibers directly to brands, switching to B2B2C. 

So I'm sure we can reach out to more Chinese as well as Asian customers in the near future.

How is the pandemic affecting your business, or say, the whole industry?

Robert: I would say it’s bittersweet. The downside is that there is more food being wasted during the pandemic. Nearly 200 tons of milk are spoiled everyday, according to a report. 

The positive side is that whole of society is reflecting on the relationship between humans and nature during these Covid times. We no longer need to over-educate our users - the media is promoting sustainability on our behalf.

PART TWO – FASHION & SUSTAINABILITY

The fashion industry has been criticized for a long time for its contribution to environmental pollution. Yet, key players are starting to go eco-conscious, either intrinsically-driven or from pressure from the shareholders or public. As a player yourself, what is your observation? What do you think of the future to make fashion more sustainable? 

Robert: Frankly, a lot of big brands are engaging in 'greenwashing'. Like the H&M garment collecting initiative, most of those clothes cannot be recycled, especially for 'blended fibers', they still end up being donated, landfilled or incinerated, which still affects the environment in a negative way. Personally speaking, I feel it’s better for us to solve the problem by identifying the source. It is not easy - a lot of hard work and genuine commitment involved if the fashion industry wants to reinvent itself. It requires every single player in this industry to be determined to reduce their footprint and at the same time, the business model itself needs to generate profit. 

One thing that needs to be mentioned here is packaging. This is an area that has yet to be fully explored but can be a key contributor to the fashion revolution. Developing fibers that can replace plastic would be another focus for Mi Terro.

Like you said, since Large-scale commercialization of fashion being sustainable may take a long time, what can consumers do to accelerate this revolution? 

Robert: 

1. Pay more for eco-friendly and high quality products. 

2. Stop buying from H&M, Zara, and other fast fashion brands. 

3. Buy less.

From what you said I feel Innovation weaved into the material of the garment can be a good starting point. Would you like to tell us about some of the eco-friendly fabrics and how they will benefit the users?

Robert: It’s hard to define what eco-friendly fabrics are. Anything more eco-friendly than Acrylic, Polyester and chemical fibers can be regarded as sustainable. There’s a highly recommended company called Lenzing. Their fibers are made of beech wood, a replenishable raw material, and during production, up to 95% of the chemicals used are recycled. From what I know a great many brands are using their products. In terms of wearing, they are sweat-absorbent, skin-friendly, and have a cooling sensation just like Mi Terro.

PART THREE – THE FOUNDER

For Part Three, SOC chose several questions from 'Proust Questionnaire'.

What is your greatest fear?

Robert: Death of family members. 

Which living person do you most admire?

Robert: If we were talking about entrepreneurs, it would have to be Elon Musk - he has had a big influence on me, and he is a benchmark for many entrepreneurs.

What is your current state of mind?

Robert: Being a continuous entrepreneur I feel quite peaceful now. I believe whenever there is a problem, there will eventually be a solution.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Robert: My memo: YOU DON'T GET WHAT YOU DON'T ASK FOR. I say it very often.

One extra question, what is your wardrobe like? Or what’s your habit of buying clothes?

Robert: For most men I know it’s quite simple. I mostly wear stuff from my own brand now.

CLOSING NOTE 

There has been a lot of discussion in recent years about how to reshape the fashion industry. But we need to differentiate between those whose voices that are just window dressing and those who are truly taking the lead in the environmental revolution by creating genuine, long-term solutions, that focus on the source of the problem. 

More than 60 global leading companies from the fashion and textile industry have already signed the Fashion Pact, focusing on 3 themes: climate, biodiversity and oceans. Behind these well-known brands, there are several independent brands that are being realistic and fully committed to rebuilding the system, just like Mi Terro. 

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We all know the future is ripe for change. Just like electrical cars have disrupted the automotive industry, so will the fashion industry also eventually find a balance between sustainability and profitability. 

But rather than relying solely on big brands to create the change, when it comes to sustainable clothing, consumers themselves also have to act and be the change that they wish to see. 

"Buy better, choose well, buy less!" said Vivienne Westwood. Your decision as a consumer has greater power than you may think.

"Change starts with what you wear!"

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