Sustainable fashion has just begun, and we believe the concept will continue spreading as more companies consider such a flourishing ecosystem of materials, processes, and products. It is part of a circular economy where waste materials are being shared, reused, repaired, recycled, or refurbished to create new products. It is one of the many ways to attain a better planet for the next generation and we are glad that many scientists and researchers are putting so much effort into this level of development. For sustainability to happen, it doesn’t always mean you take advantage of all the usable waste for recycling–it can also mean creating new materials, designs, and more sustainable ways for the fashion industry. What has just been introduced and what could be beneficial to the game is a new biomaterial by Modern Synthesis.
Modern Synthesis is a startup that works on biomaterial innovation for the fashion industry, aiming to identify radical and regenerative material solutions that could significantly reduce plastic pollution and emissions. Specifically, the company has already started to grow fabric that can be used for fashion from microbes. There is science behind this idea, which is why Modern Synthesis convinced people to fund its research, and it has proudly shared that it received more than $4 million in seed funding from AgFunder to develop a microbial textile platform.
Modern Synthesis founders Jen Keane and Ben Reeve have recognized the need for more sustainable materials and solutions. The funding from AgFunder is expected to help the team’s expansion, build a pilot facility in London, and finally ramp up production. The potential of this project is huge, so there is a bit of urgency when it comes to putting people and systems to work.
Modern Synthesis has introduced a new technology that could make biotextiles from microbes by “weaving” and “growing” a kind of bacteria known as k.rhaeticus— the type found in kombucha tea so the idea is natural. The company developed a microbial weaving process (still patent-pending) to create fabric and composites by simply growing microbes. There is no actual weaving that happens, as in the traditional sense of weaving, but what happens is that bacteria grow and trail tiny fibers of nanocellulose to create non-woven fiber.
Comments