TômTex

A TômTex sample alongside one of its key ingredients – shrimp shells / Source: TômTex

Anti-MicrobialAsiaBreathableCelluloseFlexibleLeatherNorth AmericaRecyclableRegenerativeRubberStrongTextilesTômTexUpcycled

WHAT WE SAY:

Vegan leathers were sold to us as a sustainable and cruelty-free alternative. But this generation of ubiquitous synthetic 'pleathers' is arguably a far more damaging proposition for the environment than traditional animal hides, unleashing harmful substances linked to birth defects and liver damage. Although some may argue it isn't entirely vegan, one company is on the cusp of delivering the real deal.

Using shrimp shell and mushroom waste, TômTex has developed a luxurious yet functional alt-leather that promises to set a new tone in the world of biomaterials. The company admits that scaling up its patent-pending technology requires time, meaning the material still has some way to go before it earns its spot as a readily available commercial product. But we're all about championing the small movers and shakers setting their sights on a waste-free world devoid of plastics, poisons, and pollution – and for that, TômTex deserves recognition.

TômTex

WHAT IS TÔMTEX?

TômTex is a non-woven, 100% bio-based material made from "two key ingredients" – seashells or mushrooms.
The fabric is made using an extract known as chitosan, a crustacean shell chemical. The company – also named TômTex – purchases chitosan in its raw form, which is shipped as white flakes and combined with biopolymers and other organic substances to form 'dope', a brown, molasses-like liquid. The recipe is then treated with natural pigments, and poured into a mould or cast, where it's left to air-dry for two to three days before harvesting.
The resulting material is naturally anti-microbial and water-resistant, a property which can be enhanced with a beeswax coating. It has a soft and supple feel, and is semi-breathable, durable, and affordable.
TômTex is customisable, and can be moulded or embossed into any pattern or finish. The design process involves the use of clay moulds and 3D printing that can produce various embellishments, such as crocodile and snakeskin textures.
The high-performance material is processed through a circular manufacturing system. Inspired by nature, TômTex uses "safe, water-based green chemistry", producing "molecules common amongst organic materials" that can be recaptured by nature once discarded, leaving no waste behind.
TômTex is free from toxins, petrochemicals, and plastic, and does not use tanning or chemical dyes. Instead, it is coloured with natural pigments – such as charcoal, coffee, and ochre – to produce a variety of shades. To prove its non-toxic status, the company claims that TômTex is edible.
According to the company's founder, Uyen Tran, TômTex is fully biodegradable in the natural environment, breaking down into organic matter "in a few months" and requiring no industrial processes. Once decomposed, it can be used as plant fertiliser. Alternatively, the recyclable material can be "disassembled and fed back" into the production loop.
The company sources its organic waste directly from mushroom manufacturers and seafood-based communities, favouring farms where shrimp is grown responsibly. According to TômTex, between six and eight million tonnes of seafood shell waste is discarded every year.
TômTex is designed to mimic Rubber, Leather, suede, latex, and vinyl, and is suitable for a range of applications, including apparel, footwear, bags and accessories, furniture, tools, and sports equipment. The startup is working with brands across the fashion, interior, and automobile sectors.
In 2022, the company began phase one of manufacturing through its sites in Vietnam and Brooklyn, and projects its production volume to reach 100,000 yards per year by the end of 2023 – in comparison, leather's estimated production capacity is 1.5 billion square metres a year. The company expects TômTex to be commercially available in early 2024.

KEY PROPERTIES:

Anti-Microbial
Breathable
Flexible
Recyclable
Regenerative
Strong
Upcycled

INDUSTRY:

Textiles

AVAILABILITY:

Partner Trials

DIVE DEEPER:

Animal-free leather alternatives are often touted as a sustainable solution to the animal welfare concerns and toxic tanning processes associated with traditional leather. Despite the interest and investment they've garnered, artificial leathers are either made entirely from plastic, or from plant-based materials riddled with synthetic polymers to enhance their performance. When they inevitably end up in landfill, faux leathers leach toxic substances and microplastics into the soil. Most worryingly, 'pleathers' have been linked to myriad health complications, such as nervous system and liver damage, as well as pregnancy loss.
TômTex's plastic-free alternative outperforms synthetic leathers on a number of fronts. For example, it does not require tanning or toxic textile dyes, which are responsible for 20% of worldwide water pollution. Left in the natural environment, TômTex will harmlessly decompose without shedding microplastics. It also requires less land, water, and energy, and is said to have a lower carbon footprint than synthetic and animal-derived leathers, but the exact comparison data is not readily available.
The novel solution converts raw food waste materials into a valuable feedstock. It's estimated that the food sector produces between six and eight million tonnes of crab, shrimp, and lobster shell waste annually. Elsewhere, the worldwide coffee industry generates over nine million tonnes of waste coffee grounds – alarmingly, every tonne of coffee grounds that end up in landfill emits 14 tonnes of CO2, contributing to global warming.
The main component of the fabric – chitosan – is a derivative of chitin, the second most abundant natural biopolymer after Cellulose. Between 15% and 40% of crustacean shells are made from chitin, but it's also found in mushroom cell walls. Chitin has inherent biodegradable, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties.
TômTex can be made from 100% mushroom-based chitosan for brands that want to keep their range strictly vegan, but the company says that this version comes at a premium price due to the costs involved in growing and sourcing mushrooms.
In 2022, the company signed an agreement with one of the biggest chitosan suppliers in Vietnam. The company collects seafood shell waste from suppliers and local restaurants, and extracts chitosan, which TômTex purchases for its textile.
TômTex was founded by Uyen Tran – a former fashion design student at Parsons School of Design – and Atom Nguyen as a solution to the myriad problems associated with textile pollution and waste. While working as a fashion designer for Peter Do and Alexander Wang, Tran grew concerned about the widespread use of fossil fuel-derived synthetic fabrics, which make up two thirds of all garments. With 85% of that material finding its way to landfill, Tran turned to her textile design skills to create a sustainable alternative.
In September 2022, the company collaborated with New York-based fashion designer Peter Do to unveil the first garments made from TômTex at New York Fashion Week. The S/S 23 collection featured two pairs of glossed alt-leather trousers and matching embossed tank tops in black and camel shades.
Tran has stated that it performed over 150 experiments in 2020 before the first viable prototype was created at Parsons Lab. Each iteration was tested on industrial sewing machines to assess its performance. The final prototype is compatible with existing machinery, making it a scalable solution.
The company is working with biomaterials scientists in both Vietnam and the US to develop its novel closed-loop technology so that it can serve regional communities. TômTex is also expanding its factory in Vietnam to ramp up mass-scale production by early 2024.

TômTex can be engineered with different textural finishes / Source: TômTex

Grainy leather-like textiles / Source: TômTex

KEY FACTS:

6-8 mil tns

Between six and eight million tonnes of crab, shrimp, and lobster shell waste is generated every year

100,000 yds

TômTex's production volume is projected to reach 100,000 yards per year by the end of 2023

150+

Over 150 experiments were done to develop the first viable prototype in 2020

Key Questions to Ask:

Are there local waste streams available to you?

TômTex sources its main ingredient, chitosan, from Vietnam-based suppliers. While the company is making great strides to repurpose a landfill-bound waste stream and is expanding its factory to Vietnam, the fact remains that it's reliant on an ingredient that is currently being shipped from Asia. With only a handful of chitin production facilities available in China, Japan, Thailand, and Indonesia, it's worth seeking nearby feedstocks to minimise your product's carbon footprint and localise your supply chain. Alternatively, look to locally grown materials, such as Forager Hides by Ecovative – the company has built vertical farms and uses its AirMycelium technology to produce a regenerative, leather-like alternative grown from Mycelium in as little as nine days.

How resource intensive is the extraction and formulation process?

To make chitosan, the main ingredient in TômTex's recipe, chitin is extracted from shrimp shells and treated with a 40% concentrated sodium hydroxide solution. Producing one kilogram of chitosan requires more than one tonne of water. Given that water scarcity is rapidly emerging as a global environmental threat, the use of water should be investigated further, and more data is needed to validate claims about the resource efficiency of TômTex. Is the water reused in the looped technology? And how much will be needed to produce the material at scale? Consumers are demanding more transparency about the processes and resources involved in producing alternative textiles, especially when they are claimed to be sustainable. Demanding this information from suppliers before you opt for a material ensures that you aren't falling prey to greenwashing accusations.

Can you find other seafood waste applications?

Seafood waste appears to have a number of properties that make it viable for textile and packaging applications. Take UK-based Shellworks, a startup which began its journey into the packaging world by experimenting with chitin to develop compostable packaging solutions. Similarly, Australian startup Carapac has harnessed crustacean shell waste to create a range of film-like plastic packaging materials. Likewise, CruzFoam has created a chitin-based protective eco-foam that can replace Styrofoam. Adding value to waste streams is a sure-fire way of making the circular dream a reality, and getting rid of plastic-based products for good.