It’s the plant of many names. Some call it bulrush, others typha and some prefer cattail. Last year, drones seeded a field with typha and, in September 2025, the first harvest took place.
The typha was harvested using specialised machinery, and the heads of the plant are being used to manufacture sustainable, padded jackets called Biopuff® – replacing the need for plastic-based fillings. The jackets are being made by a Palus Demos partner firm, Ponda®, a biomaterials company developing novel textiles from truly regenerative fibres.
Ponda offers an alternatives to fast fashion – mass-produced clothes made at a low economic cost but a high environmental cost, primarily using polluting, oil-based materials like polyester and nylon. And it comes at a time when consumers are actively seeking alternative, more sustainable clothing options.
The typha was grown on Chat Moss, a field that was once a raised peatland and converted to farmland, but which has become increasingly waterlogged – bad news for potatoes, cereals and most vegetables, but good news for paludiculture crops like typha which thrive in wetter soils.
The Lancashire Wildlife Trust has more information about this harvest.