ACBC Announces Its New Scientific Committee to Drive Sustainable Innovation

Milan, Italy – November 24, 2025. ACBC, a certified B-Corp and a leading reference in sustainability and innovation within the fashion & lifestyle sector, announces the establishment of its new Scientific Committee, a strategic advisory body created to further strengthen the company’s research, development, and innovation path.

The ACBC Scientific Committee has been set up to provide expert evaluation on technological and sustainable innovation proposals developed by the Director of Innovation. Its role is to ensure that the advancements pursued by the company are technically sound, economically viable, and aligned with the evolving needs of the fashion and footwear markets. By bringing together technical, financial, and market expertise, the Committee will offer a multidisciplinary perspective to support and refine ACBC’s long-term innovation strategy.

Composed of four members with diverse and complementary backgrounds, the Committee reflects ACBC’s commitment to bridging advanced material science, business strategy, and deep industry knowledge across fashion & lifestyle. It includes a technical expert in innovative materials and processes, two management specialists with experience in innovative materials companies and investment funds, and a senior executive from leading fashion brands representing both the luxury and contemporary segments. Appointed by the Board of Directors for a renewable 24-month term, the members will work closely with Edoardo Iannuzzi, Co-Founder and Director of Innovation at ACBC.

The Committee brings together highly respected professionals from academia, industry, and investment:

• Maurizio Masi, Professor of Applied Physical Chemistry at Politecnico di Milano, contributes deep expertise in advanced inorganic materials and technopolymer production processes, with a strong focus on circular economy principles. Over his career, he has collaborated with more than one hundred industrial partners, published over 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers and five books, and holds twelve international patents.

• Stefano Orsi, Group Chief Operating Officer of Damiani International, brings extensive leadership experience developed in major global organizations across luxury, fashion, publishing, and retail. Before entering the luxury jewelry sector, he served as COO of Geox, contributing to the brand’s industrial reorganization and operational management. Previously, he was General Manager at Editoriale Domani and spent seventeen years at the Armani Group, where he led industrial operations in Italy and abroad, including Hong Kong.

• Julien Born contributes broad executive leadership experience across the textile, biomaterials, and chemical industries. His career includes senior positions at renowned companies such as DuPont, KOCH Industries, HeiQ, and The LYCRA Company, where he served as CEO until 2023. Julien is also an accomplished entrepreneur, having founded and led a corporate licensing agency for several years. He brings valuable expertise in go-to-market strategies, scale-up processes, and financing of new technologies in the textiles and materials science sectors.

• Leslie Harwell, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Alante Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund investing in material innovation and software to transform design-driven consumer industries toward a more sustainable future. With nearly two decades of experience in finance, she is an interdisciplinary thinker with a deep passion for exploring the connections between business and geopolitics, science and design.

“We are proud to introduce a Scientific Committee of this caliber,” said Edoardo Iannuzzi, Co-Founder and Director of Innovation at ACBC. “The diversity of their expertise will play a crucial role in validating and accelerating the innovative technologies that will shape the future of fashion and sustainable materials.”

With the creation of this Committee, ACBC reaffirms its commitment to promoting responsible innovation and leading the fashion industry toward a more sustainable future.