Lauren Choi's The New Norm Revolutionizes Sustainable Textiles by Upcycling Plastic Waste
Lauren Choi, a Johns Hopkins engineering student, founded The New Norm to convert post-consumer plastic into sustainable textiles. In 2019, she led a student team to build an extruder that turns plastic waste into textile filaments and collected thousands of red cups from campus fraternities to produce a sample fabric after taking a weaving class at a Baltimore maker space. This foundational effort led to The New Norm's establishment.
After graduating in 2020, Choi secured grants from Johns Hopkins, Garnier, and Reynolds Consumer Products to further develop the technology, collaborating with Gaston College's Textile Technology Center and the Polymers Center in North Carolina. By late 2023, The New Norm released its first direct-to-consumer collection featuring garments produced in Brooklyn from yarn derived from upcycled plastics through 3D knitting and printing.
The collection, which used about 5,000 upcycled party cups, sold out within two months. The company utilizes the colors of the cups themselves—pink, blue, and green—instead of added dyes, creating a unique palette. The yarn consists of continuous filaments, which reduces microplastic shedding, while 3D knitting minimizes waste by eliminating seams. Prices for the garments range from $45 to $85.
The New Norm operates with a lean team of three to twenty-five employees. Choi relocated to Boston to pursue an MBA at MIT and is currently piloting partnerships with large brands to scale the material and validate its performance in washing and strength.
Market context highlights a global sustainable textile market valued at approximately $29.5 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $71 billion by 2031. Meanwhile, global plastic production is about 200 times higher than in 1950, with less than 10% recycled and approximately eight billion tons of plastic pollution accumulating worldwide.
