Lauren Choi's The New Norm Converts Post-Consumer Plastics into Sustainable Textiles
Lauren Choi, an engineering graduate from Johns Hopkins University, founded The New Norm with the mission to convert post-consumer plastics into textile fibers. The company began by collecting red Solo cups from campus fraternities and turning this waste into textiles. In 2019, Choi led a team to build an extruder capable of spinning plastic waste into textile filaments and learned weaving techniques to create a sample fabric, which laid the foundation for The New Norm.
After graduating in 2020, Choi secured grant funding from Johns Hopkins, Garnier, Reynolds Consumer Products, and Hefty's parent company to further develop products. The company's first direct-to-consumer collection, launched in late 2023, was made from 5,000 upcycled cups and sold out within two months.
The New Norm sources plastics from facilities across the United States, though early production faced challenges such as unusable plastic due to contamination or mixing, requiring extensive trial and error. Collaboration with Gaston College’s Textile Technology Center and the Polymers Center in North Carolina helped create a textile yarn formula that is wearable, breathable, and comfortable, enabling a plug-and-play production process.
Production involves yarn created in North Carolina and Virginia, while garments like sweaters and beanies are 3D-knitted in Brooklyn. This 3D knitting technique reduces waste by eliminating sewing and seams. The textiles incorporate various plastics but primarily consist of multicolored party cups, with colors deriving from the original cups rather than added dyes. The yarn consists of continuous filaments that help reduce shedding microplastics.
Operating with a lean team of roughly 3 to 25 employees, The New Norm is expanding its reach. Choi recently moved to Boston to pursue an MIT MBA and the company is testing B2B pilot programs to assess strength and laundering capacity for large-brand use while aiming to scale its production.
The New Norm is entering a market context where the global sustainable textile market was valued at $29.5 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $71 billion by 2031. The initiative addresses the plastics crisis, noting that 8 billion tons of plastic pollution exist with less than 10% recycled, and that 60% of textile fibers are synthetic, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Upcycling initiatives like The New Norm are positioned as innovative solutions within this environmental challenge.
