Shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2024 Bentley Lighthouse Award, Luke Haverhals is founder of Illinois-based material innovation company Natural Fiber Welding.

NFW is a material innovation company that creates plant-based materials to replace petrochemical products.

Their products are used in a variety of industries, including footwear, fashion, accessories and automotive. NFW's mission is to create a circular material supply chain, scale bio-neutral manufacturing and make plastic-derived synthetics unnecessary.

During the COP28 climate conference, they participated in Stella McCartney's Sustainable Market showcasing their plant-based leather alternative Mirum.

Among other projects, they are also developing plastic-free, bio-based footwear with companies including Bared Footwear and Purified.

Luke Haverhals is shortlisted in the Bentley Lighthouse Award category of Dezeen Awards 2024