Used for centuries for their insulating properties, oyster shells are now being reused to create a unique eco-friendly fabric in Taiwan's oyster-growing west.
Entrepreneur Eddie Wang remembers the shells of the bivalve mollusk that littered the streets of his hometown in Yunlin County (west) and were used by locals to insulate their homes.
"They would burn the shells and apply the residue to the walls. The houses would then become warm in winter and cool in summer," the 42-year-old Taiwanese tells AFP from his factory in Tainan, in the southwest of the island.
"So, I was curious as to why oyster shells had such a miraculous effect."
His company Creative Tech Textile, founded in 2010, produced an "eco-responsible fabric", polyester obtained from recycled plastic bottles, but Mr. Wang found it "ordinary".
So, he collaborated with a research institute to experiment with making fabric from oyster shell residue, his childhood memory in mind. The research culminated in 2017 with the discovery of a process for making a wool-like material.
Today, his Taiwanese factory employs some 100 tons a year of these protective shells to produce around 900 tons of "Seawool", a patented and trademarked fabric.
This fabric and the resulting garments earn some 220 million new Taiwan dollars (6.2 million euros) a year. Most of this is bought by sustainable and outdoor clothing brands in Europe and the USA.
The manufacture of this wool in Taiwan would not be possible without the autonomous island's unique oyster farming, says Mr. Wang.