[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/8957\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWood, mushrooms and fish as the new stars of fashion catwalks\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf you take an inventory of your closet, chances are you\u2019ll have several garments made at least partly of polyester and nylon. These two low-cost textiles are staples of fast-fashion and currently make up about \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.eea.europa.eu\/themes\/waste\/resource-efficiency\/plastic-in-textiles-towards-a\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E60% of clothing and 70% of household textiles\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EPolyester and nylon are synthetic fossil fuel-based fibres, meaning they are derived from oil and natural gas. The production of these fibres, their dominant position in the fashion industry, and the fact that they are not biodegradable, means that they have a huge impact on our environment. They also contain harmful \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.eea.europa.eu\/themes\/waste\/resource-efficiency\/plastic-in-textiles-towards-a\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Emicroplastics\u003C\/a\u003E that make their way into every conceivable corner of our land, oceans and waterways.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAs a natural fibre, cotton is more easily recycled and requires fewer fossil fuels for its production compared to nylon, for example. However, the cotton industry demands mass land areas for cultivation; worldwide, cotton crops are sprayed with the most chemicals; and, finally, growing cotton requires vast amounts of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.eea.europa.eu\/themes\/waste\/resource-efficiency\/plastic-in-textiles-towards-a\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ewater\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWhere does this leave us?\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFewer toxic chemicals in \u2018natural\u2019 textile production, please\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBio-based textiles are emerging as a solution. There is a wealth of innovation in this area, with new \u2013 and old \u2013 technologies turning waste and residues of other industries into sustainable, biodegradable materials that are kinder on our planet.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EViscose and lyocell (cheaper, more durable alternatives to silk) are both produced from wood and touted as more sustainable alternatives to natural cotton and synthetic polyester. They are man-made, semi-synthetic fibres: while they have a natural base and require much less land cultivation and water than cotton, heavy processing and solvents are needed to turn them into wearable textiles.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EAt the moment, the raw material base production of man-made cellulose fibres is limited, the solvents used, and the required chemicals are not safe or environmentally friendly, and the production value chain, especially finishing treatments of the textile fibres, causes extensive freshwater pollution.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EStina Gr\u00f6nqvist, GRETE\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EStina Gr\u00f6nqvist, research team leader at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, is a specialist in bio-based materials, and she is not impressed by today\u2019s viscose and lyocell production methods. \u2018At the moment, the raw material base is limited, the solvents used, and required chemicals are not safe or environmentally friendly, and the production value chain, especially finishing treatments of the textile fibres, causes extensive freshwater pollution.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFor example, in the production of viscose, the wood pulp is treated with chemicals, a solvent is applied, and the resulting wood-pulp is spun into a fine thread. This highly polluting process releases many toxic chemicals into the air and waterways surrounding production plants.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EProduction of lyocell is similar, but uses a direct solvent, N-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMMO), that does not require the chemical modification step needed for viscose. While lyocell production is considered less harmful on the environment than viscose, NMMO is explosive and highly unstable, limiting its applicability.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/837527\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EGRETE\u003C\/a\u003E project, coordinated by VTT, is developing new non-toxic and recyclable solvents that will boost the safety and sustainability of making textiles from wood. This new technology will remove many of the current risks to both human health and the environment embedded in current manufacturing processes, and also open the door for producing high-quality textile fibres from a much broader range of sustainable raw materials like paper grade pulp, recycled paper and textiles.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The use of paper grade pulp instead of dissolving pulp would be an environmental and economic benefit because it is a less processed raw material,\u2019 explained Gr\u00f6nqvist. The project is also developing fibres with completely new properties that can reduce the amount of water used in the production cycle.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMushrooms are coming to a closet near you\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWhile the innovative technology Gr\u00f6nqvist is working on is still in its infancy, she hopes similar solutions will be upscaled and embraced by the fashion industry, so that more sustainable textiles will become price competitive with synthetic, fossil fuel-based fibres.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBringing about change in an industry as massive as fashion is no easy feat, though. \u2018We don\u2019t realise that the clothes and textiles we are using have been developed in decades of incremental technological steps,\u2019 said Gianluca Belotti, head of innovation at Mogu S.r.l. Years of industrial innovation have made us capable of producing clothes \u2018in crazy amounts with very minimal production time, very efficiently, and at a really low-cost. So, switching to a new paradigm is quite a challenge\u2019.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s a challenge that Belotti is taking on by focusing on a relatively new natural material that can be added to the growing global arsenal of sustainable, biobased textiles: mycelium.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EMycelium is the vegetative stage of mushrooms, the pre-mushroom stage, if you will. Belotti is currently coordinating the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/101000719\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMy-Fi\u003C\/a\u003E project, which is developing and scaling up a new way of producing mycelium-based materials. Taking agro-industrial residues as their starting point, the mycelium fibres are produced with Mogu\u2019s proprietary technology that generates minimum carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, requires very limited energy input, and recycles the water used in the process.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWhen you can use residues of local industry and create a local manufacturing plant that can grow your raw material, that you then can process and sell nearby, this simplifies the logistics of the textile industry a lot.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EGianluca Belotti, My-Fi\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThis technology also has the potential to simplify the complex, globalised supply chain of the fashion industry. \u2018When you can use residues of local industry and create a local manufacturing plant that can grow your raw material, that you then can process and sell nearby, this simplifies the logistics of the textile industry a lot,\u2019 said Belotti. \u2018You can even gather many steps of the value chain in one single manufacturing plant, and make sure that everything is produced according to the best practices of the day.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe environmental benefits of mycelium fibres are hard to overlook, and several leading fashion brands have already started using it as a leather alternative. Belotti believes that the fashion industry is indeed ready for change and \u2018craving new sustainable solutions that are viable in the market\u2019. A key aim of the My-Fi project is therefore to solve some of the current limitations of working with mycelium and spur the market uptake of this sustainable and versatile bio-based textile.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EInnovation is vital in bringing about fundamental change in how fashion brands and consumers think about textiles. Yet, in our ambitions to revolutionise the industry and mitigate its impact on our environment, we should also look at practices used for thousands of years before the advent of modern innovative technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESo, how about a fish skin handbag?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Ayelet Karmon, coordinator of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/823943\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EFISHSkin\u003C\/a\u003E project, there is evidence that for 6,000 years, people have been using fish skins for clothing.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFish skin offers several significant advantages: the tanning process is shorter and requires far fewer chemicals and less energy than for leathers from cow hides, for example. And although the skin is extremely thin, it is actually very strong.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAll these properties make fish skin a very attractive material for the fashion industry, bringing the sustainability and circularity to the sector that consumers increasingly want.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFish skin is also a resource we have \u2013 and will continue having \u2013 in high abundance: Karmon notes that the production of fish has steadily grown over the last decade and is expected to continue rising. Assuming that fish skins are a residue of marine aquaculture, acquiring them does not require fresh water, almost no land is used, and it leaves a markedly lower carbon footprint compared to other forms of agriculture.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u2018More than 50% of the total fish capture remaining material is not used as food, resulting in almost 32\u0026nbsp;million\u0026nbsp;tonnes of waste. A substantial amount of this waste is the skin of the fish,\u2019 explained Karmon.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ECombining the expertise of fashion designers, industrial designers, material scientists and aquaculture scientists, as well as companies directly connected to the market, the FISHSkin aims to advance the uptake of fish skin by the fashion industry.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EI see no reason to grow something specifically for the fashion industry.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EAyelet Karmon, FISHSkin\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EKarmon believes we need to completely rewire our idea of how textiles are sourced and produced: \u2018I see no reason to grow something specifically for the fashion industry, and I wish all our raw material would be used beforehand for some other purpose, and only afterwards for fashion. By the end of their life, all materials, if processed correctly, should be biodegradable or available for further manipulation for future uses.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThis is the circular economy in a nutshell, and in line with the idea of giving back to the planet more than we take, as outlined in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/op.europa.eu\/en\/publication-detail\/-\/publication\/45cc30f6-cd57-11ea-adf7-01aa75ed71a1\/language-en\/format-PDF\/source-170854112\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EEuropean Commission\u2019s Circular Economy Action Plan\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAs the textiles industry is the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.eea.europa.eu\/publications\/textiles-in-europes-circular-economy\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Efourth highest user of primary raw materials and water\u003C\/a\u003E in the EU, it is a key area for innovation, and one with broad consumer appeal.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESo, the next time you buy a shirt or bag, try checking the label to see what it\u2019s made of. While we still have a way to go before fish skin handbags and mushroom shirts are widely available, it\u2019s never too early to start changing our mindset about where our products come from, and the impact they have on planetary and human health.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. 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