Co-Founder and CEO

Benoît Illy

My name is Benoît, and I hold an award-winning PhD in Materials Science from Imperial College London. Over the past decade, I have been fortunate enough to lead numerous high-tech projects that have made a positive impact on the world. From laboratory inception to widespread industrial success at esteemed companies such as Saint-Gobain and Safran, I have had the privilege of playing a key role in bringing innovation to life. I am proud to have always worked on projects with an environmental impact, from solar cells during my PhD to energy-saving projects at Saint-Gobain.

I strongly believe that we all have a purpose in life, and it is essential to find what drives us and pursue it with passion and determination. We face numerous challenges, and climate change is one of the most significant threats to humanity. However, we can overcome this issue by undertaking large climate-positive industrial projects. This is what drives me to build Fairbrics – the opportunity to tackle this challenge head-on and create technologies that enhance people’s lives. Working alongside the best scientists and engineers in their field puts Fairbrics at the forefront of science, and we will make a difference.

Co-Founder and CTO

Tawfiq Nasr Allah

During his studies at Columbia University and his PhD at the French alternative energies and atomic energy commission (CEA), Tawfiq pioneered the field of CO2 transformation and developed technologies that transform this harmful waste into high-value compounds. Curious, he is always looking for ways to apply his business and scientific knowledge to answer questions in applied research, environmental technologies, and innovation in order to create pioneering business solutions that will positively impact our societies.

What does Fairbrics mean to you?

Fairbrics means a lot to me. First and foremost, it is a vision in which I am working hard to create a better world for my son and others. Fairbrics means realizing my dream of assisting with the world’s most pressing issue.

Personal everyday sustainability hack

I encourage everyone to use digitized documents instead of using paper – all these small things that I believe can help reduce the environmental impact.

R&D engineer

Tetiana Krachko

Tetiana Krachko is an Amsterdam University PhD graduate with a strong 7 years research and industrial background in both theoretical and experimental chemistry. She has worked in leading research institutions throughout Europe and published 9 articles in high impact journals.

Introduce Yourself!

My name is Tania, and I am originally from Ukraine. With a strong background in fundamental chemistry, I now have an excellent opportunity to apply my knowledge and be part of an international team that develops sustainable fiber solutions.

What does Fairbrics mean to you?

Fairbrics creates CO₂ recycling solutions while also producing high-value goods for the fashion industry. The ideal combination of method and target for me.

Personal everyday sustainability hack

I use reusable water bottles, energy-saving light bulbs, bring reusable bags when grocery shopping, recycle properly, and so on.

R&D Scientist / Piping and Instrumentation Project Manager

Isaias Barbosa Aragao

Oi, my name is Isaias (phonetically ee.sah.ee.ahs). I was born and raised in Brasilia, capital of the country located in the Brazilian highlands, and before moving to Lyon in 2019 I lived in Sao Paulo for 7 years and in Madison, USA, for 1 year. I am a plant aficionado and I am extremely proud that my pitcher plants are finally producing new flowers after 2 years under my care; also, following the french trend, I started bouldering indoors in the first trimester of 2023 with my Fairbrics colleagues.

I joined the company in November 2022 as a catalyst specialist to bolster the current team’s efforts in the design and development of novel materials and start the new products research line, which is an extremely important effort from Fairbrics to increase the circularity of the processes in the textile industry. As a natural evolution of my passion for bending tubes and building gas lines, I was granted the position of Piping and Instrumentation Project Manager, in which I am responsible for all installations in Villebon-sur-Yvette and help out on the pilot plant in Antwerp, Belgium.

I am a chemist with specialization in heterogeneous catalysis, with a masters in homogeneous catalysis and PhD in the synthesis of novel bimetallic supported catalysts using surface organometallic chemistry (if you are curious, my thesis full text can be found here). Before Fairbrics I worked with several environmentally interesting reactions, such as the water-gas shift reaction during my PhD and CO oxidation during my first post-doctoral researcher position at the Brazilian Synchrotron Laboratory, but also with industrially well-established technologies under an European project at CPE-Lyon on the dehydrogenation and aromatization of light alkanes.

R&D Engineer

Victor Baldim

Victor Baldim holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Campinas and has extensive experience in the fields of nanotechnology, colloids and interfaces. Most recently, he worked on the development of heterogeneous catalysts for ammonia synthesis to enable its use as a zero-carbon fuel aiding the fight against climate change.

Introduce Yourself!

Hi, my name is Victor. I am a Brazilian who moved to France in 2016. I really enjoy going to the cinema and listening to instrumental music. Occasionally, I go hiking or biking on trails.

What does Fairbrics mean to you?

Working at Fairbrics means having the opportunity to contribute to the solution to climate change, for instance, by using carbon dioxide as a feedstock in the production of fabrics.

Personal everyday sustainability hack

I prefer quality over quantity and buy from sustainable brands.

R&D Fluid Mechanics Engineer

Gregory Pujals

Greg graduated from Ecole Polytechnique (France) with a Ph.D in fluid mechanics. He worked as an aerodynamics engineer in the automotive industry for 7 years before transitioning to the consumer electronic industry in the field of acoustics and audio systems for the last 4 years. He joined Fairbrics in April 2022, eager to return to fluid mechanics and to an environmental conscious company and job.

Introduce Yourself!

Hello, I am Greg and come from the Paris suburbs. Apart from spending time with my family, I enjoy listening to and playing music, as well as winding guitar pickups and manufacturing other items in my tiny workshop. I am also a big NBA fan, supporting the NY Knicks since the Ewing/Starks days.

What does Fairbrics mean to you?

Fairbrics means being part of a young and talented team, having a vision and the opportunity to work for a better future.

Personal everyday sustainability hack

I buy local and seasonal food and try to limit my consumption of packaged goods.

Process Engineering Doctorate

Maan Al Jurdi

Maan Al Jurdi joined Fairbrics in March 2021 as a process engineering intern as part of the Master Energy program (Mines ParisTech) and proceeded as a doctorate through a collaboration between the Mines ParisTech Doctoral School (ISMME) and Fairbrics. He used his knowledge in chemical process design with energy recovery and optimization strategies to work on scaling up the process and energy integration in the valorization of CO2 in polyester, after receiving his chemical engineering degree from Lebanon and his masters of energy specialized in decarbonization of fuel.

Introduce Yourself!

Hey, I’m Maan. I am a Lebanese who moved to France 2 years ago and can say I have mastered the use of Franglais. I love exploring new cities and places, and experiencing their different architecture, arts, and history. I have always drawn to the arts and other forms of creativity, particularly sculpting and drawing. Normally, when I have the time for it, I try to pursue the things I love, but I have yet to find the right balance between work, travel, and my hobbies. Fortunately, with the help of our team, I am still able to be creative in my work and broaden my scientific knowledge.

What does Fairbrics mean to you?

I enjoy working in a team of diverse and innovative minds that tackle the issue of climate change together by using the very pollutant, CO2, as the main feedstock for Fairbrics products.

Personal everyday sustainability hack

When the weather permits it, I try to ride my bike around Paris. Otherwise, I take public transportation.

Chemical Engineer / Pilot plant Project Leader

Margaux Vaz

Bonjour! I’m Margaux, and I’m from Champ-sur-Drac, a town near the city of Grenoble in the French Alps. If you can picture the cliché of a French person: a lover of cheese, bread and pain au chocolat, you already know a lot about me; I also love dancing (especially modern jazz) and travelling around the world to explore different cultures.

I graduated as a chemical engineer with a double master’s degree from Chimie ParisTech – PSL (ENSCP) and IFP School. Professionally, I’ve always wanted to harness innovation to make an impact, which is why I specialised in flow chemistry while working at Corning Advanced Flow Reactors, where I developed a pilot-scale ozone dosing line to feed continuous reactors under pressure, enabling greener and safer oxidation. I then worked at Arkema on the optimisation of industrial batch processes for polyamide production. 

I joined Fairbrics in February 2022 as a R&D scientist, and was tasked with adapting our processes into continuous flow. Since 2023, I have also became the project leader for the scaling-up of our technology from the laboratory to pilot scale, which represents a critical step towards the manufacture of textiles from CO₂.

Research and Development Scientist - Electrochemistry

Ashta Ghosh

After receiving his PhD from the Universität Greifswald (Germany) and six years of postdoctoral experience, Ashta joined Fairbrics in January 2022. His activity at Fairbrics revolves around the development of heterogeneous catalysts and electrochemical processes for the conversion of CO2 to fabric carbon negative synthetic fibers for the fashion industry.

Introduce Yourself!

Hello, I am Ashta Ghosh from India. As of 2017, I have been living in France. I enjoy watching movies and spending with my family in my spare time.

What does Fairbrics mean to you?

“Journey to air wear”

Personal everyday sustainability hack

“Energy can neither be created nor destroyed – only converted from one form of energy to another”. Therefore, my USP is to minimize energy consumption and use recyclable household items.

CSR Responsible

Yasmine Abdi

Hello ! My name is Yasmine. I grew up in Lyon and studied chemistry in the south of France, in Toulouse. Then, I specialized in the environment in my final year of engineering school, when I joined the Eco-Ingénierie Specialized Master’s program. I joined Fairbrics in 2023 to work on Corporate Social Responsibility: in practice, this involves working on the social and environmental impact of the company on society. What I’ve really appreciated here is the company atmosphere: my colleagues have become my friends!

In my spare time, I like to paint and draw. I also enjoy discovering new cultures through gastronomy and travel.