Food waste is a major concern for me, as someone who eats a lot for a living. After an article last year where I explored all the kinds of waste that are created in kitchens and catering, I became fascinated with the ways that ingredients can be reused.

For example, a fat wash from meat drippings is becoming more common in kitchens, but did you know that you can make milk punch from a day-old croissant?

That's why when I heard what Natalia Burakowska is doing with her clothing brand, Terratela, I had to talk to her. And I honestly could have listened all day. Terratela uses fibers and "plastics" made from waste like milk proteins, seaweed, soybean shells and even cigarette butts.

We bonded over growing up in immigrant families where everything was reused – I have more jars and Cento cans than a sane person should – but I love her knowledge about how these food items were already being used, and how new technology can bring them back in ways that are accessible for today's consumers. Because, who knew that our problematic friend Henry Ford would be the one to champion the soybean suit (and throw it away once cheaper plastics became available)?

Watch the interview below, and come out to meet Natalia at the Circles and Circularity event at Post Haste on March 29th from 3-6pm.