Spiber’s groundbreaking initiative, the biosphere circulation program, presents a pioneering methodology for upcycling biobased and biodegradable textile and agricultural waste through the utilization of its proprietary fermentation technology. The primary objective of this program is to propel society towards the creation of fully circular textile products that can be regenerated into an innovative protein material known as “Brewed Protein” at the end of their lifecycle.
Photo – courtesy of Spiber Inc. ©
The textile industry faces a challenge with textile recycling, with less than 1% of discarded textiles being recycled for new textile applications (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). Recognizing the challenges involved in end-use textile recycling, Spiber is dedicating significant resources to developing a comprehensive circulation infrastructure aiming for commercialization in the long term. The company has been testing various types of fibers, dyes, and processing chemicals that are used to make apparel products in order to verify what can be efficiently digested into nutrients. This information is being used to inform the development of requirements for textile products which will be published in the near future to ensure that the industry has the tools needed to adopt this innovative process.
Understanding the pressing need to confront the challenges we currently encounter, Spiber advocates for a collaborative approach to expedite research and development, hastening the implementation of this cutting-edge system. In support of this vision, Spiber’s long-term partners Pangaia and Goldwin have joined the program. This collaboration aims to catalyze the transition from a linear “take-make-use-dispose” model to a circular “take-make-use-reuse” model.
The brands will support Spiber to accumulate valuable data and develop a comprehensive product design guideline that enables the decomposition of garments into biological nutrients, which can then be used as resources for the production of upcycled materials. Furthermore, the brands will contribute to the advancement of product design guidelines applicable to a wide range of garment types, promoting industry-wide adoption of this sustainable approach.
As a first step, Spiber has worked with Goldwin to create a demonstration product to identify potential challenges that need to be solved in order to further develop the guideline to design a fully circular final product that the fashion industry can comply with.
Knowledge of what has been used to make products—from raw material to consumer goods—is critical for circularity at end-of-use. Accordingly, Spiber has created a demonstration webpage where users can access detailed breakdown information of materials and chemicals used to make the product. This webpage is just a glimpse into the company’s vision for building a platform to enable their circularity solution through transparent access to data to enable verification of whether a product is or is not “digestible to nutrients” at end-of-use. During the process of development, Spiber has already identified several potential challenges that the industry needs to overcome.
The demonstration product will be prominently displayed at Innovation Hub at Future Fabrics Expo in London, UK, from June 26 to 28. During the event, Kenji Higashi, Executive Vice President of Business Development, Sales & Sustainability, will participate in a panel discussion on June 27 to shed light on the challenges encountered and provide further insights on the dissemination of biomaterials and the circular economy.
Given the pressing urgency of our current situation, it is vital and inevitable to confront resource depletion issues and establish a comprehensive circulation model and infrastructure across the industry. Spiber ardently advocates for a collaborative approach, welcoming industry players to join forces and enhance research and development efforts in pursuit of a more sustainable future.
To make this demo product compatible with biosphere circulation, the garment was assembled with cotton thread in place of polyester thread. This change may slightly impact the performance of the product, as the cotton thread doesn’t have the same stretch, strength, and performance properties as polyester thread. This may cause the shirt to be slightly more prone to wear and tear around the neckline and sleeves at the seams.
There are challenges to circulating chemically processed and coloured textiles. The chemicals and colourants must be identifiable when textiles reach end-of-use and must be confirmed to not hinder the “degradation to nutrient” process. We are currently focusing research efforts to identify the types of chemicals and colourants that are acceptable with the process and are actively gathering data through lab-scale testing.
Brewed Protein fibres are lab-grown, plant-derived, circular materials made through a proprietary microbial fermentation process. The fibres are a compelling solution to the growing demands of animal and petrochemical-free fibres to address numerous pressing environmental issues and risks. The potential environmental impact of a forward-looking Brewed Protein fibre production plan was found to be significantly smaller than cashmere and merino wool, largely due to the lower environmental impacts of inputs for Brewed Protein polymer production (primarily plant crops and renewable electricity) when compared to livestock farming for cashmere and wool production. Production scale has been growing and Brewed Protein fibres, yarns, and fabrics are now available for purchase at a commercial scale.
