STEFAAN VANDIST

AUTHOR OF WE, MYSELF & A.I. AND PRETOPIA

When we look at fashion from a materials angle, clothing always has a petrochemical, vegetable or animal origin. All of them have their own sustainability issues. However, nature’s bacteria, algae and fungi can bring a sustainable revolution.

Covid-19 has caused upheaval in the fashion economy – companies already struggling might disappear. But why invest to keep a sputtering economy alive when you can also invest in a new system?

Biotech start-ups bring climate-positive, biological, non-toxic and regenerative processes to produce textiles, plastic and artificial leather faster, cheaper, safer and more sustainably.

Covid-19 has made it clear that our society can react extremely fast and change course. And innovative and agile companies will benefit from changing fashion production processes. This sustainable change is coming … from biotechnology – changing one of the most polluting industries into a (more) sustainable one.

Luxury and sports brands are taking the lead. Eco-pioneer Algix (Mississippi, USA) grows algae with polluted water and CO₂ as its main raw materials. Together with brands such as Vivabarefoot, Billabong and Clarks, they will have the capacity to produce 500 million pairs of shoes per year from their climate-positive material 'bloom foam'. Other promising game changers are Ginkgo Bioworks, Algiknit, Ecovative, Colorifix and Modern Meadow.