The Next Fashion Revolution
We, the youth, are becoming more fashionable by the day. With new trends on social media and pop culture authorities ruling what is in and what is not, there is an increasing demand for better, more fashionable, clothing. With our wardrobes full of more and more clothes just to keep up with what is “currently in,” we end up buying a lot that we don’t really need.
What impact is this having?
The fashion industry is the world’s largest polluter, second only to the oil industry. The majority of the industry’s pollution is due to water contamination and consumption, carbon emissions and harmful chemicals. Did you know it takes around 2,700 litres of water to make one shirt! The sheer volume of water that is being consumed in this industry is immense. As a result, more and more people are asking for sustainable fashion solutions.
Bringing the change
The recent demands for sustainable solutions have put positive pressure not only on the fashion industry, but also textile manufacturers to innovate in this field. And we have finally found the answer thanks to some really creative and innovative minds coming together with the goal of making this world a better place! This answer lies in synthetic biology! Synthetic biology is a field of science that involves redesigning organisms for useful purposes by engineering them to have new abilities. Biotech companies like Evrnu, Bolt threads, Spiber, Mycoworks and Ecovative Design are reinventing the fashion industry by introducing new and sustainable materials and production methods.
Challenging Tanneries
50,000 kg of water go into producing 20 kg of usable leather, as the process hasn’t evolved much since 2200 BC. The amount of fossil fuels and water that are consumed in the leather industry are a major cause of environmental degradation. But it is not just limited to the process itself. Production of livestock is also a major issue when it comes to this industry. MycoWorks is turning fungi and agricultural byproducts into leather, making it 100% biodegradable. With MycoWorks, this same process can be done in a fraction of the time, using a fraction of the resources in a customizable way.
The Immortal Textile
Close to 95% of textiles can be reused, and 85% of it ends up in the trash. On a mission to make single use fabrics into multi-life resources, Evrnu is introducing a specially engineered fabric, which has exceptional performance and environmental advantages. Evrnu’s NuCycl technology turns discarded clothing into new material through a five step process. Technology like the one of Evrnu shows that it is possible to make materials with nature, which can return back sustainably to nature, so that the materials which would usually got to waste are also recycled.
Tougher than steel. Soft as Silk?
Japan-based Spiber succeeded to develop the technology required for mass production of synthetic spider silk. Being as strong as carbon fiber and 40 times tougher, the possibilities for this fibre are endless. In collaboration with The North Face, Spiber released the Spiber Moon Parka, the world’s first coat made with synthetic spider silk. Since it is made of proteins such as genetically modified spider silk, it is extremely eco-friendly and Spiber believes that these proteins will be a basic industrial material one day.
Materials for a better tomorrow
Using nature for inspiration, cutting edge biotechnology as a tool, and endless innovative ideas to make sustainable materials for a better world, Bolt Threads is tackling the problems faced by our resource constrained world. In a collaboration with Adidas and Stella McCartney, they have already taken the fashion industry by storm.
The Future is Fungi
Bacon, packaging material, skincare and sustainable foam are just some of the Mycelium products by Ecovative Design. Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus or fungus-like bacterial colony, which has a thread like structure. Mycelium yields very little waste, it is fast growing and it uses limited energy to produce. But this kind of production is a little more expensive than the commonly used materials currently.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg, there is so much more left for us to discover in this field of synthetic biology. The pressure on our planet has pushed innovators to pave the way towards something bold and beautiful. And when more of these innovators come together, this same change becomes a lot more tangible and realistic. You too can be part of this change! Make the impact you want to see in the world. Visit aiesec.org and start your leadership journey, today.
