David René, founder of Magtech, explains that hydroponic cotton -grown without soil- is "the most sustainable alternative" in the textile industry. That is why he has enrolled in a startup that, incubated since the end of last year in Lanzadera, the Juan Roig incubator. He seeks to win over manufacturers, although he knows about the difficulties because he has already experienced them firsthand. "Here in Spain, no fashion company was interested in the project, nobody wanted to finance me," says René.
And that Magtech presents itself as "the first Spanish company dedicated to the search, research, improvement, cultivation, and commercialization of natural textile fibers" for the fashion industry. Almost nothing. “We are farmers 3.0”, defends René, who works with another colleague and who, although he has studies in ADE, has specialized in RD after researching in recent years.
He came from working directly in the industry. He was in Tunisia and Bangladesh, where he says he saw them "in all colors." That's when he thought there was a lack of traceability in cotton cultivation and that's when he began to study to reduce environmental impact. “Hydroponics already existed in other products, so I wanted to do that with cotton. And we saw that in 2021 it was possible to do it, ”she recalls.
How do they do that? They grow hydroponic cotton and separate its seeds from the fiber. They sell this in bales of cotton -in packages of 220 kilos- to the spinning mills... And so they enter the distribution chain, in which they aspire to be suppliers of more and more textiles, although at the moment they are working with various luxury brands who have believed in his speech.
And although he prefers not to reveal the name, he assures that they have already signed an important sponsorship with British, French, and Swiss luxury groups; "And now we are in negotiations with the Germans and the French."
He also explains that they are working with a Valencian research center to launch a research product to grow cotton with wastewater, but he prefers to keep the details to himself.
The benefits of the product are that "we have increased cotton yield per plant by 60 times compared to traditional soil-based methods, while at the same time we have reduced water use by an 'impressive' 70%." And we have ambitious plans for 2024, which include a 2,400m2 greenhouse integrated with solar panels, which will further enhance our sustainable practices”, explains René. They project a greenhouse in Picassent and another in Murcia whose first harvest, he says, "is already sold one hundred percent."
The entrepreneur is convinced of the success of his proposal, which he assumes needs time to consolidate in the market. “The problem is not in science, it is that the industry has historically been artistic. If you talk to other industries, they are used to collaborating with science, but when we talk to the textile industry there is reluctance, ”he argues.
Despite the obstacles, they will close 2023 with a foreseeable turnover of 30,000 euros. In 2024 they have signed contracts worth 100,000 euros and in 2025 they plan to set up the first industrial hectare of hydroponic cotton.
The billing they aspire to in that year is 300,000 euros, "when the business will start to be profitable", David René qualifies. Meanwhile, they soak up what Lanzadera offers and its synergies, from contact with other entrepreneurs. "The truth is that I was not aware of the impact that Roig is generating in Spain," concludes the young businessman.
