In this episode of Green Japan we report on a groundbreaking Japanese innovation called Brewed Protein, which can be used to make infinitely recyclable clothes. The fabric is made by microbes, and offers a sustainable solution to tackle the millions of tonnes of textile waste generated every year.
ADVERTISEMENTBrewed Protein, developed by a company called Spiber in Tsuruoka, Japan, is an innovative textile produced by micro-organisms fed on plant sugars and, in the future, unwanted clothes.
Their fibre offers cashmere-like qualities and is fully recyclable. The company's aim is to develop a full circular economy model in fashion, thereby addressing the 7 million tonnes of clothing waste generated annually in the EU.
Italian heritage wool producer Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia is already blending Brewed Protein with merino wool, while the The Kering Group, home to Gucci, Botega Veneta, and Saint Laurent, is testing how to use it in future products at the company's Material Innovation Lab in Milan.
Fashion names such as Burberry, Pangaia, Woolrich, Ron Herman, The North Face, Goldwin, Doublet, and Yuima Nakazato are already commercialising Brewed Protein clothes in some countries.
Supported by the industry's new BioCircular Materials Alliance, this protein fibre technology could pave the way for fully regenerative clothing solutions.
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