Materials

shoe made from tomato leather

© Bioleather

India’s Bioleather Develops Biodegradable Alt Leather Made From Tomato Plant Waste

Bioleather is an Indian alt leather producer that has developed tomato composite, a fully biodegradable material made by extracting cellulose fibers from tomato plant waste. Described as an “exotic material with unique texture, color, and characteristics”, the leather alternative is made from two separate layers. This eliminates the need for a layer of polyurethane, which is used in most plant-based alt leathers to improve durability. The natural characteristics of the tomato composite are said to protect it from deformation, and it is also described as lightweight, easy to clean, and resistant to water and abrasions. In 2021, the material won Best Innovation in Textile at the PETA Vegan Fashion Awards. Bioleather now offers a selection of shoes and bags made from the tomato leather, and …

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Organisations and Brands:Bioleather
AMSilk spider web

Image: AMSilk on Instagram

AMSilk Secures Additional €25M, Totalling €54M for Bioproduced Silk Protein Materials

AMSilk GmbH, a German provider of biofabricated silk protein materials, has announced a successful €25 million raise in its extended Series C round, bringing the total to €54 million. The additional funding was led by previous investor ATHOS (AT Newtec), with contributions from Novo Holdings, Cargill, and MIG Capital. The Munich-based biotech leverages its technology platform, based on vegan silk proteins, to create 100% fully biodegradable and microplastic-free silk materials that will contribute to building a zero-waste society. They can be used in multiple applications, from powders, hydrogels, textile fibres, aerospace applications, and coatings for the medical, automotive, and textile industries.  Expanding commercial operations “We are delighted to have closed this successful financing round which validates our technology and underpins our ongoing development as we …

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Organisations and Brands:AMSilk
A shoe made with Modern Synthesis biomaterial

© Modern Synthesis

Modern Synthesis Unveils “One of the Biggest Advances in Textiles Since the Industrial Era”

Biomaterials company Modern Synthesis announces that, during a private event at its London headquarters, the company revealed a breakthrough class of microbial materials made with nanocellulose produced using first-of-a-kind biotechnology platform at its newly opened pilot facility. The company says its revolutionary material has a “unique potential” for creating customizable nonwoven textiles, from films to soft leathers. Furthermore, it is a naturally biodegradable alternative to petrochemical-derived materials to help the fashion industry overcome its sustainability crisis.  Biotech Platform  Founded by ex-Adidas designer Jen Keane and synthetic biologist Dr. Ben Reeve, Modern Synthesis is poised to craft the next generation of biomaterials to meet the fashion industry’s requirements for sustainability and performance. The biotech raised $4.1 million in a seed round last year to build its micro-factory in London. The biotech …

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Organisations and Brands:Modern Synthesis
goldwin-spiber-collection

@ GOLDWIN INC.

GOLDWIN and Spiber Present Fashion Collection Made of Brewed Protein Fiber

GOLDWIN INC. announces the launch of its Fall/Winter 2023 collection, featuring five brands simultaneously using the innovative structural protein material Brewed Protein fiber, developed in partnership with Spiber Corporation since 2015. “Through this joint development, we will rethink the relationship between nature and man and consider a completely new way of using materials” After many years of joint development, five brands — The North Face, Goldwin, nanamica, The North Face Purple Label, and Woolrich — have now launched products with Brewed Protein™ fiber, a new next-generation material from Japan, and will be available worldwide in the fall. With the start of mass production of Brewed Protein polymer at Spiber’s Thai plant in early 2022 – eight years after Goldwin and Spiber began their joint development …

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Organisations and Brands:GOLDWINSpiber
Evoco plant based materials

© Evoco

EVOCO, Partner to Vans & Timberland, Raises CAD $12M for Plant-Based Materials

Canadian plant-based materials producer EVOCO has secured CAD $12 million in a Series B funding round led by Circular Innovation Fund. EVOCO aims to develop high-performance, low-impact materials intended to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The company’s flagship product is a patented foam called FATES, which is 80% plant-based. Existing investor The Stuart Group and new investor Export Development Canada participated in the round. The material aims to replace conventional PU foam, which produces significant emissions, can take hundreds of years to biodegrade, and is difficult to recycle. The technology is said to reduce carbon emissions by up to 70%. While FATES can be adapted to multiple applications, EVOCO is initially focusing on footwear, partnering with brands such as Vans, Keen, and Timberland. The foam …

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Organisations and Brands:Evoco
Really Clever biomaterials

© Really Clever

$475M Invested in Next-Gen Materials in 2022, Leather Alternatives Dominating Sector

The Material Innovation Initiative has published its third State of the Industry Report for the next-gen materials sector. The report notes that $3 billion has been invested into next-gen materials since 2013, with $457 million raised in 2022 alone. This figure was lower than the “unprecedented” spike to $1.135 billion in 2021, with the fall blamed on a challenging funding environment caused by the global economic downturn. However, more funding was raised in 2022 than in any year prior to 2021. Leather alternatives still dominate the sector, with 64 companies working in this area compared to 15 for silk, ten for wool, and nine for fur. Seven companies are working on alternatives to down, and one on exotic skins. Currently, 52% of the materials used …

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Organisations and Brands:Material Innovation Initiative
Book cover The Interior Design Method

Image courtesy Aline Dürr

New Online Course “The Vegan Interior Design Method” Launches Today

A new 6-week online course called The Vegan Interior Design Method, created by Aline Dürr, founder and creative director of Vegan Interior Design and writer of a 2020 book on the topic, sets out to provide anyone with the tools to create healthy, sustainable and cruelty-free interior designs. It is a creative approach to ending animal exploitation and the celebration of healthy and sustainable design evolution, says the founder. The Sydney, Australia-based expert, who also organised the Vegan Interior Design Week in 2021, says to vegconomist that the “concept of ‘The Vegan Interior Design Method’ goes beyond the usual interior design trends and courses. It explores the challenges surrounding climate and ecological change through the lenses of interior design, ethics, health and technology. Students, whether …

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Banana leather

© Banofi

Upcycling Fruit Waste Brings Another Innovation: ‘Banofi’ Banana Leather

Banofi is a premium banana leather developed by Kolkata-based material innovation firm Atma Leather by upcycling banana crop waste and transforming it into fibres. India, said to be the world’s largest producer of bananas, generating four tons of waste for every ton of fruit, is also one of the world’s largest leather exporters. Jinali Mody, Atma’s founder, saw the value of using banana waste in the creation of a petroleum-free, premium plant-based material in order to offer an alternative to leather in a cowhide dominant market. Sustainability challenge Mody took her idea to Startup Yale in April 2022, succeeding in securing $25,000 from the Sustainable Venture Prize to launch her company, Atma (meaning “soul”), with the aim of tackling two sustainability fronts: crop waste and …

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Organisations and Brands:Atma LeatherBanofi
NFW animal and plastic free leather bag

© Natural Fiber Welding (NFW)

NFW and Lenzing Co-Create Biodegradeable, Plastic-Free Vegan Leather for Fashion Industry

Two bio-based and plant material experts, Lenzing Group and Natural Fiber Welding (NFW) have partnered to create an animal- and plastic-free leather alternative suitable for clothing, footwear, and accessories. The collaboration involves the use of Lenzing’s brand of cellulose-based and plastic-free fibers, called TENCEL, as a backing option in NFW’s plant-based MIRUM leather to make the final product reusable and biodegradable.  While most alternatives rely on polyurethane to bind and make leather backings, this partnership will allow fashion industry designers to work with a completely sustainable leather. Allbirds plant pacer Oihana Elizalde, VP of MIRUM at NFW, commented: “At NFW, we believe that plant matter is the only material that can scale to replace plastic. By adding fabrics made of TENCEL to MIRUM, we can …

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Organisations and Brands:LenzingNatural Fiber Welding (NFW)
persiskin's vegan leather made from persimmon

© Persiskin

Persiskin Launches Vegan Leather Made from Waste Persimmons

Persiskin, a Valencian company developing innovative textiles using raw plant materials, has launched a vegan leather made from leftover persimmons, providing an eco-friendly alternative to traditional leather and reducing food waste.  “We are located in the cradle of persimmon production in Europe. So we can affirm by having extensive knowledge about this fruit, its cultivation, and its great capabilities that it is an ideal raw material for producing this new vegan leather,” states the company. Persiskin’s persimmon leather results from a €2 million investment initiative launched by la Comunidad Valencia (autonomous community of Spain) and the participation of the textile industry research association AITEX to provide an outlet for the region’s surplus persimmon production, which is around 500 million kg annually.  Persimmon leather on demand …

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Organisations and Brands:Persiskin

© Loliware

Loliware Raises $15.4M in Pre-Series A to Replace Single Use Plastic with Seaweed Pellets

Seaweed materials firm Loliware announces it has raised $6M in its latest round of pre-Series A funding, bringing the startup’s total raise to $15.4M. According to the startup, this currently makes it the best-funded seaweed materials tech company on the market.  Company officials said they will use the funds to focus on driving growth in the seaweed materials market, launch new products and novel seaweed resins, and expand the company’s research and development capabilities. “Climate change is a worldwide problem, and our pelletized seaweed resins are a step toward a solution,” said Loliware founder and CEO Sea F. Briganti. “By reducing CO2 emissions and strengthening the ocean-based ‘blue economy,’ our seaweed-derived products make it clear that regenerating the Earth is good business.” Briganti adds, “Demand for …

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Organisations and Brands:Loliware
adidas trainer made with amsilk vegan textile

© AMSIlk

AMSilk: New Collab Aims to Develop High-Performance Biobased Vegan Fibres

AMSilk, the biotech-based vegan silk material innovator, has announced a collaboration with BRAIN Biotech, a leader in developing and manufacturing biobased solutions and products, to develop high-performance vegan fibres for textiles and other applications. According to AMSilk, its partnership with BRAIN Biotech will leverage its expertise to optimise specific properties of structural proteins necessary for developing a new type of resistant fibres. The two German bio-economy frontrunners said they are teaming up to revolutionize the performance materials market with new bio-fabricated sustainable materials that can replace petroleum-based textile fibres, a primary source for microplastics and non-biodegradable fashion garments. “Bio-fabricated products hold enormous potential as sustainable material solutions for the future.”  A sustainable future through biobased solutions Recently relocated to Campus Neuried in Munich, AMSilk is …

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Organisations and Brands:AMSilkBRAIN Biotech
biohm's mycelium regenerative material

© Biohm

Biohm: Mycelium & Food Waste to Create Regenerative Construction Materials

London-based Biohm is a biomanufacturing research and development company founded by Ehab Syed in 2016 to create regenerative construction materials and packaging by growing mycelium into food waste or processing difficult-to-reuse or recycled by-products. Biohm uses orange peel, cocoa husks, and other food waste, to develop and design construction materials such as mycelium-based insulation panels, plant-based concrete alternatives, and sustainable replacers for wood-based construction sheets. The company claims its manufacturing process, based on circular economy principles, positively impacts the environment, meaning it is completely regenerative and is estimated to be carbon-negative. Mycelium-based insulation panels Biohm’s team has developed premium building insulation panels for the construction industry made out of growing mycelium — the root structure of mushrooms — on food waste, forming it into three-dimensional products. …

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Organisations and Brands:Biohm
noriware's biodegradable algae cups

© Noriware

Noriware: Revolutionising the Packaging Industry with Plastic-Free Seaweed Alternatives

Switzerland-based startup Noriware is developing CO2-neutral, plastic-free alternatives to conventional plastic products using seaweed. The company claims its biodegradable algae packaging uses 100% raw natural materials, “making them even edible.” Noriware was founded in 2021 by Jessica Farda, who, inspired by the sustainable and circular economy concept around seaweed, started to develop algae plastic prototypes at home. After successfully creating a biodegradable seaweed material, the company entered its entrepreneurship journey, receiving support from a leading university in Switzerland and funds from the NTN Innovation Booster Plastics for Zero Emission by Innosuisse to further develop its biodegradable algae packaging and revolutionise the packaging industry. Seaweed, an ideal raw material According to Noriware, the existing bioplastics are made with fossil fuels and can only be composted in industrial …

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black vegan leather featured in huawei's mate 50 pro phone

© Huawei

Huawei Announces Global Launch of Mate 50 Pro Featuring Vegan Leather Finish

Chinese multinational technology corporation Huawei announces it is soon to launch its flagship smartphone Huawei Mate 50 Pro Carbon Black Vegan Leather, on the global market. This marks the first time Huawei places this mobile phone version out of China, where was introduced after the Huawei Mate 50 Pro orange vegan leather version. The choice of vegan leather, according to Huawei, reaffirms the company’s interest in integrating next-gen materials into its designs. The communications giant has been introducing smartphones with alternative materials, such as its HUAWEI Mate 30 and 40 flagships that offered vegan leather green and yellow options. Huawei Mate 50 Pro Carbon Black Vegan Leather comes protected with a new Kunlun Glass material that, according to the company, protects the phone’s screen from …

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