Waste Is Our Resource
Most brands choose their materials from a catalog. We don’t. We look for what the world is throwing away.
Our sourcing philosophy is simple: if a material retains usefulness — if it’s still strong, functional, and capable of becoming something people will value — then discarding it is a waste of its remaining potential. We source whatever we can find a meaningful use for, which means our material list is always evolving.
Every Product Starts with a Conversation
Behind every Morph product is a network of people — manufacturers, business owners, community organizers, academics, and others — who have access to waste streams or knowledge of where valuable materials end up when they’re no longer needed. These relationships are where our sourcing begins, and they’re what make it possible.
We can’t find these materials on our own. The people who know where they are — who work with them, manage them, or move them through their organizations — are the ones who unlock the possibilities. Without those conversations and connections, the materials stay invisible. With them, they become something.
Not every conversation leads to a product. Sometimes a material doesn’t work structurally. Sometimes the volume isn’t there. Sometimes the timing isn’t right. But we never write a material off entirely. What doesn’t work today often becomes the foundation for something we hadn’t yet imagined. We keep every possibility in mind and return to them as our capabilities grow.
The people who share these material streams with us aren’t just suppliers. They’re collaborators in the truest sense — helping us see value where others see waste, and opening doors we couldn’t open alone.
Know of a material stream we should explore?
If you work with, manage, or know of post-industrial or post-consumer waste materials that might be a fit, we’d love to hear from you. Some of our best partnerships started with a simple introduction.
Our Current Materials
These are the materials currently used in Morph products.
Thai Silk Remnants
Source: A bag manufacturer in Bangkok whose production process leaves behind high-quality silk remnants — too small for their purposes, but more than enough for ours.
What it becomes: Handmade coin purses and small pouches, sewn in double-layer for lasting strength with YKK zippers.
Why it works: Thai silk is exceptionally fine and durable. The remnants we use are the same quality as the material that made it into the manufacturer’s finished products — they just didn’t make the cut due to size, not quality.
Thai Silk Remnants
Source: A bag manufacturer in Bangkok whose production process leaves behind high-quality silk remnants — too small for their purposes, but more than enough for ours.
What it becomes: Handmade coin purses and small pouches, sewn in double-layer for lasting strength with YKK zippers.
Why it works: Thai silk is exceptionally fine and durable. The remnants we use are the same quality as the material that made it into the manufacturer’s finished products — they just didn’t make the cut due to size, not quality.
Neoprene Offcuts from Diving Suit Manufacturing
Source: A diving suit manufacturer whose cutting process generates neoprene offcuts — the same high-performance material that protects divers in cold water.
What it becomes: Sunglass cases. A material built to protect people underwater now protects your lenses.
Why it works: Neoprene is soft, shock-absorbent, and resilient. It’s ideal for protecting delicate items. It’s also a material most people would never think to source for accessories, which is exactly what makes it interesting.
Currently Testing & Prototyping
Our material list is never finished. These are the materials we’re currently experimenting with — some are close to becoming products, others are still in early exploration.
Decommissioned Fire Hoses
Heavy-duty, built for extreme conditions, and decommissioned in large quantities by fire departments. We’re exploring what a fire hose becomes when it’s retired from service but still has plenty of useful life left.
Burlap Coffee Bags
Local roasters go through large numbers of burlap bags that arrive full of green coffee beans. Once emptied, they’re often discarded. We’re prototyping with these now — the texture and character of burlap make for distinctive, earthy products.
Vinyl Billboards & Signs
Billboards come down regularly, leaving behind large sheets of durable, weatherproof vinyl. We’re working through what that scale of material can become in a Morph context — the challenge and the opportunity are both significant.
Foam
We’re exploring foam offcuts as a material source — particularly for protective inserts, padding, and structured bags. Foam is widely generated as industrial waste and rarely recaptured at the consumer product level.
Have a lead on any of these materials locally, or know of another material stream worth exploring? We’d love to hear from you.