The Startup Turning Swamps Into Fashion Gold

Interview with Julian Ellis Brown, CEO & co-founder of Ponda

**Key Points

• Ponda’s mission was sparked by a bold idea: materials should restore, not deplete, their environments, with wetlands as the ideal starting point for this vision.
• BioPuff is a plant-based insulation derived from bulrush, offering a regenerative, high-performance alternative to goose down and synthetic fills.
• Regeneration goes beyond sustainability by actively healing ecosystems - such as rewetted peatlands - while creating materials, rather than just minimising harm.
• BioPuff can disrupt fast fashion by demonstrating that regenerative materials can be scalable, cost-effective, and viable for mainstream adoption, not just premium brands.
• Partnering with farmers revealed the critical role of collaboration, traceability, and shared long-term vision in building a truly regenerative supply chain from the ground up.
• Rewetting and farming degraded peatlands transforms them from carbon sources into carbon sinks, while enhancing biodiversity and flood mitigation.