Meet Hyphyn, the First Biodegradable Performance Upholstery

In an industry often criticized for waste and pollution, a revolutionary material is changing the narrative. Hyphyn, the first biodegradable performance vinyl, is setting a new standard for sustainable design—without sacrificing the durability that businesses, designers, and institutions have come to rely on.

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Engineered with a patented enzyme system and a proprietary resin blend, Hyphyn performs like the commercial-grade vinyl used in high-traffic settings—offices, hospitals, hotels, schools—but offers something no other vinyl can: it breaks down responsibly at the end of its life. In landfill conditions, over 90% of Hyphyn biodegrades within two years. No microplastics. No toxic legacy.

“True innovation isn’t just about creating something new—it’s about rethinking what’s possible,” says Iwan Nassimi, Executive Vice President at Nassimi, the company behind Hyphyn. “We reimagined vinyl’s entire lifecycle.”

Traditional vinyl is prized for its low cost, resilience, and cleanability. But it lingers in landfills for generations, shedding microplastics and leaching chemicals. Hyphyn disrupts that cycle. This new material gives sustainability-minded designers and specifiers a powerful alternative—one that doesn’t require compromising on performance. Hyphyn maintains the strength, finish, and easy maintenance of traditional vinyl, but degrades only when it reaches a landfill, where its embedded enzymes activate, breaking the material down into inert gases. These gases are then captured and turned into energy—a rare win-win in waste management.

“Hyphyn isn’t just about where a product begins or how it performs,” adds Nassimi. “It’s about where it ends up—and what it leaves behind.”

Hyphyn will debut at the Sustainability Lab during NeoCon 2025, June 9–11, and will be showcased at select distributors in THE MART, including Arc-Com, CF Stinson, Mayer Fabrics, Momentum Textiles & Wallcovering, Pallas Textiles, and Wolf Gordon.

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