Spanish biomaterials producer Polybion has announced that its cultivated cellulose, Celium, is now available worldwide. The company claims the material is more than a leather alternative, and will create an “entirely new category” due to its unique properties.
Celium is grown by feeding bacteria with agroindustrial fruit waste; the cells then self-organize and create a cellulose structure as a metabolic by-product. This structure undergoes a sustainable stabilization process, and the resulting leather-like material can be dyed, embossed, and tanned with chromium-free formulations using existing infrastructure. The material’s properties can be tailored for applications such as fashion, sportswear, and the automotive industry — for example, the thickness of the material can be controlled as it grows.
Celium is plastic-free and has a much lower environmental impact than conventional leather. No hazardous chemicals are released during production, and there are no significant biomass outputs between growth cycles.
Since Celium can be produced using existing large-scale fermentation equipment, the technology could easily be adopted worldwide. One company that has already seen the potential of Celium is Danish fashion brand Ganni, which recently unveiled a bag made from the material at Copenhagen Fashion Week. Celium is described as vegan, organic, and exceptionally strong.
“Landmark material”
To allow designers and material engineers to explore the versatility and potential of the material, Polybion has introduced the Celium Swatch Sampler. This collection includes everything from classic tones to marbled patterns that can only be achieved with bacterial cellulose.
The material’s global launch follows the successful scale-up of Polybion’s facility in Central Mexico in 2022. At full capacity, the carbon-neutral and solar-powered facility can produce up to 1.1 million square feet of Celium per year. The scale-up was made possible by a $4.4 million Series A funding round led by Blue Horizon Ventures.
In October of last year, Polybion announced that the global circular fashion platform Fashion for Good had become an official partner and investor in the company.
“With biology-related hurdles solved at scale, Polybion finally unveils its landmark material, marking a pivotal moment in the widespread adoption of bacterial nanocellulose for consumer product applications and empowering more brands to adopt low carbon materials into their product categories,” says the company.
