PAGESThe fashion industry is seeing the beginnings of a biotechnological revolution where living or-
ganisms are being used to make clothing, resulting in improved and more sustainable materials.
EXECUTIVEHow Biotechnology Is Changing the Way We Make Clothes
“In terms of design, you can tune the material properties from a molecular level, granting you significantly
more control over the final product than is possible with traditional materials,” said Klein. From a sustainability
perspective, the material doesn’t need any animal or petroleum input.Biotechnology already plays an important role in the textile industry. Enzymes are used routinely to wash
and bleach textiles, to give jeans a denim look or to prevent wool from shrinking. A new wave of technol-
ogy could take this a step further. In a not-so-distant future, our clothes will be made and dyed by living
microbes, ditching many of the chemical processes that make fashion one of the most polluting indus-
tries in the world. Many players around the world are already disrupting the fashion industry with biofabrication.
I talked to four companies in Europe leading the biological revolution in the fashion industry to find out
more about how their technology is changing the way we make clothes.
Growing spider silk with bacteria
Spider silk is known for being a strong, flexible and lightweight
material, but it is not possible to farm spiders at an industrial scale.
Based in Germany, AMSilk uses genetically engineered bacteria to
get around that problem. Inside fermentation bioreactors, the bac-
teria produce spider silk protein, which is then spun into fibers,
creating a brand new material with unique properties.
“In textiles, we haven’t seen a truly new material in decades,” CEO
AMSilk’s spider silk fibers
Jens Klein told me. AMSilk just celebrated the launch of the first
product made with this spider silk — a luxury watch strap. The company is working in several other
products using the spider silk fibers, including biodegradable sneakers for Adidas.
“The fashion industry, like many others, is struggling to satisfy competing demands for performance and
sustainability,” explained Klein. “On the one hand, consumers want products with better performance
properties, and on the other, they are demanding more sustainable materials and production methods.
Traditional materials cannot meet both demands, but biofabricated materials can.”
Nurturing the body with algae
The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of water pollution in the
world. The chemicals used to make and dye fabrics are often toxic,
harming & killing thousands of workers. These chemicals can also
leach to the skin of the wearer. Seaweed could be the solution. The
German-Israeli firm Algalife is growing fibers and dyes using algae.
“We use a closed loop system with zero waste, we don’t need any-
thing to grow it besides sunlight water,” said CEO Renana Krebs.Algalife’s laboratory
After 15 years working in the fashion industry, Krebs decided it was time to lead a much needed change.
The clothes made at Algalife are not just more sustainable in terms of pollution, land, water and energy
use. They are also designed to nurture the skin of the wearer with the natural compounds produced by
seaweed. “You really have a wellness product that is allergen-free, chemical-free, pesticide-free, and
nourishing for the skin,” Krebs told me.
Algalife aims to reach mass production this year, with the first products focused on home and sportswear.
In the future, Krebs envisions being able to customize the specific compounds produced by algae, such
as proteins or vitamins. “It’s a win-win solution for all stakeholders: manufacturers, workers & customers.”
Growing clothes from fungi
“Factories are closing due to environmental issues, plastic pollution is a big problem and there is only so
much land we can use for cotton growth, instead of food. The fashion industry needs to change and is
looking for new innovations,” said Aniela Hoitink, founder of the Dutch firm NEFFA.
Hoitink has created a fabric that is grown out of mycelia — the roots of mushrooms. The fungi are grown
in discs that are then stuck together to create custom clothes without seams. “As we skip steps of
spinning yarn, weaving cloth, cutting patterns and sewing garments, we are not only reducing waste
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