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Emma Grace Bailey
Held at Magazine London in Greenwich, the two-and-a-half-day event hosted 58 exhibitors and saw a seminar series of 16 panel discussions with over 60 speakers, touching on subjects as broad as regenerative agriculture and applying biodiversity to niche spotlights on climate justice, plastic-free finishing techniques, and the power of Gen Z in changing the narrative. The event's Innovation Hub - spread over six thematic stations - brought together cutting-edge materials and technologies, while a new Packaging Solutions showcase supported by Canopy pushed the narrative of paper beyond tree-based fibres.
A key session of the event, titled Building the Biofabricated Materials Landscape, featured representatives from Spiber, Mogu, Biofabricate and Neffa, who discussed the shifting mentality in material innovation - away from working with chemistry and towards working with biology. Three interesting takeaways emerged: we must go beyond the buzzwords - biomaterials, biobased, biodegradable, and compostable - and dedicate time and resources to understanding the complexity behind the emerging material landscape. Brands must demonstrate support for new solutions in any way possible. If financial support isn't available, letters of intent and interest to VCs are crucial to helping the materials of the future become a reality. And finally, there is an entirely new class of materials emerging that will completely change the way we create, but we must stop asking them to behave in the same way as traditional materials.
Championing this advice, discover five emerging materials from the expo that are set to disrupt the fibre basket and be a brand that's ahead of the curve by supporting what's next, not what's already left behind.
Bioleather from Uncaged Innovations is a plant-based Leather alternative that mimics the protein structure of animal collagen with plant-based structural proteins. Made from plant collagen extracted from grain by-products, the durable material alternative is composed of 50% grain by-products, 15% plant oils, 25% natural Rubber, and 10% natural ingredients from coffee by-products, minerals, flowers, and Algae. It can be backed with a range of textiles, including GOTS-certified Cotton, certified Cellulose materials and GRS-certified fibres.
The idea for Bioleather came when the founders of Uncaged Innovations - Stephanie Downs and Dr. Xiaokun Wang - studied leather fibrils at the ultrastructure and molecular level, identifying similar scaffolding functions in plants that can live up to the durability of collagen, the main protein found in animal hides. Through a patent pending process, the company leverages crosslinking chemistry and polymer chain plasticisation to create an interpenetrating network that mimics the mechanical function of animal leather. The company adds characteristics such as texture, stretch, colour, and flexibility with different bio-based elements. Formulations can be tuned to meet specifications, including the application of a fine layer of plastic to enhance durability, but the material is usable without it.
Uncaged Innovations was founded in 2020 in New York and has recently secured USD 2 million in pre-seed funding from InMotion Ventures, the investment arm of Jaguar Land Rover.
Availability: Commercially Available
According to Arda Biomaterials - the creators of New Grain - 20 kilograms of brewers' spent grain (BSG) are produced for every 100 litres of beer made. This by-product is rich in protein as well as cellulose and lignin fibres, allowing it to be transformed into a material with similar properties to animal-based leather when combined with salts and acids. The result is New Grain, an emerging leather alternative that's said to be safe enough to eat.
Data from the company states that New Grain offers a 77.9% reduction in CO2 and a 99.9% reduction in water usage compared to animal-derived leather, but a formal, third-party-verified LCA is still in the works. The leather alternative can be customised and finished similarly to animal leather with the addition of patterns and colours, and the company has developed a way to non-toxically lighten the material so it can be dyed in a variety of tones. The material's natural colour is a rich black.
Still in the development phase, Arda Biomaterials has already won a grant from the UK government and is working to fine-tune the material. Once perfected, it will conduct ISO tests to ensure New Grain's home compostable status.
Availability: Development Stage
Flexible plastic, used to house sweets, chocolate bars, loose vegetables, and so on, is a virtually impossible type of plastic to recycle. Outlander Materials from the Netherlands is looking to change this narrative with the creation of UnPlastic, a functional, home compostable, plastic-free flexible 'foil' made from food and brewery waste.
While details of exactly how it's made are currently unpublished, UnPlastic is said to be 100% biobased without any toxic or petrochemical additives, and composts toxin-free in home compost within two to six weeks. Data from the company claims that it emits 70% less carbon than flexible plastic film while providing similar properties such as resistance to oxygen and fats, a soft, flexible texture, and semi-transparency.
UnPlastic is primarily aimed at the packaging industry but is also being explored as a fully biobased protective coating for biobased leather alternatives in collaboration with the company's partner, Mylium. Outlander Materials is still in the proof-of-concept stage and is seeking to partner with packaging, manufacturing, and consumer goods companies to develop in-use products with the aim of being market-ready in 2024.
Availability: Partner Trials
Originally known as AlgiKnit, Keel Labs is the US-based company behind Kelsun - a yarn spun from kelp biopolymers sourced from Seaweed that's designed to be a drop-in replacement for legacy fibres. Leveraging the regenerative and carbon-capturing properties of seaweed, Keel Labs works directly with growers and extraction partners across several coastal locations to harvest seaweed under strict sustainability guidelines. Once harvested, the kelp is dried out and cured, then transformed into a powder that's delivered to the company.
Keel Labs mixes this powder with its spinning solution, consisting of alginate, water, and natural additives, resulting in an off-white yarn that's made from a minimum of 75% kelp biopolymer and 25% plant additives. Kelsun can be used wherever yarns and textiles have an application, including in the fashion industry, home furnishing, interiors, and automotive industries. The yarn is said to be 100% biobased and therefore naturally degradable without harming the environment. Keel Labs' vision for the future involves becoming a platform for sustainable aquaculture and materials that both come from and protect the oceans.
Availability: Partner Trials
Creating moisture wicking garments traditionally requires using a fossil-fuel-based treatment with a very high chemical carbon footprint. Not only are these treatments harmful to the environment at the end of their life, they also impact the skin during wear, exposing it to toxins. Beyond Surface Technologies from Switzerland offers a 100% biobased alternative treatment called bioWick, made from microalgae oil and suitable for synthetic fabrics.
Perfected over a number of years, this plastic-and petrochemical-free treatment is made from an oil extracted from dried microalgae that's grown in controlled, sealed environments. An industry first, the wicking finish is said to reduce CO2 by up to 80% in comparison to similar, synthetic standard products while offering 6-10% faster wicking than 25 different PES fabrics, absorbing unwanted moisture and helping it evaporate from the fabric. The treatment is USDA- certified biobased and GreenScreen Certified Bronze.
BioWick is available to be used at scale today, and the company has already partnered with Patagonia and Pangaia, with the latter applying it to its range of activewear.
Availability: Commercially Available