Brewing protein to make sustainable materials
CategoriesSustainable News

Brewing protein to make sustainable materials

Spotted: Textile production is a major user of energy and water resources – as well as a major source of CO2 and pollution. While progress is being made to develop less energy-intensive materials in some areas of textile production, it has been difficult to replicate the benefits of fibres derived from petrochemicals or animal-based fibres like silk, cashmere, and wool using lower-energy materials.

Japanese company Spiber, however, has developed a novel process for creating fibres and other materials through fermentation (brewing) of plant-based ingredients. Company representative Noriko Fukushima, described the Brewed Protein process as “utilising sugars and microbes, rather than petrochemical or animal-derived raw materials.”

Spiber currently uses sugars obtained from agricultural products such as sugarcane and corn as the main feedstock for the production of Brewed Protein materials. The company is aiming to shift to a regenerative and circular system involving the use of agricultural and textile waste, such as end-of-use fibres.

Spiber was founded initially in 2007 but began mass production in 2022 at a plant in Rayong Province, Thailand and is collaborating with ADM on the construction of a second mass production facility in Iowa. Since 2019, the company has also been working with well-known apparel companies and brands, including The North Face, Goldwin, and Pangaia, as well as introducing a new mascara with Shiseido that incorporates Brewed Protein fibres.

While fermentation is a novel way to produce fibres, Springwise has also spotted a wealth of plant-based alternatives to animal fibres. Recent innovations in the archive include footwear made from food waste and regenerative fibres.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

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A leather alternative made from beer brewing waste
CategoriesSustainable News

A leather alternative made from beer brewing waste

Spotted: Spent grain from brewing practices is usually burned, sent to landfill, made into gas, or used as cheap feed for livestock. All of these are low-value enterprises. So, instead, one startup, Arda Biomaterials, is utilising this cheap waste product to create leather, without needing to farm animals for their hides. 

Arda Biomaterials is currently working with breweries from South London’s ‘Bermondsey Beer Mile’, which was once the leather tanning district of the City of London, to make its leather alternative. 

The material is produced by taking the grain that has had its sugar removed for brewing purposes, also known as brewer’s spent grain (BSG). This grain is rich in protein and fibre, which makes it an ideal blueprint for an alternative to conventional leather. It is chemically treated and manipulated in order to create a material that resembles conventional animal leather, a process developed by the company’s founders Edward TJ Mitchell and Brett Cotton. 

Arda Biomaterials has just received a £1.1 million (around €1.3 million) investment led by Clean Growth Fund, a UK cleantech venture capital fund. Now, the company is hoping to both reach a completed product and subsequently start launching its material in a limited capacity next year, and scale the business from there. 

Reimagining material production is one important step we must take towards net zero. Springwise has also spotted one company that makes plastic alternatives out of invasive plant species, as well as one startup in the archive that aims to replace plastic bubble wrap with a wool-based alternative.

Written By: Archie Cox

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A countertop device for brewing plant-based milk at home 
CategoriesSustainable News

A countertop device for brewing plant-based milk at home 

Springwise: Some favorite foods, including staples such as pancakes, hummus, and guacamole, are relatively simple to make at home. However, it does take a bit more time to assemble all the ingredients and do the work than it does to open a container and enjoy something immediately. Non-dairy milks are another popular foodstuff that is fairly easy to make. They require a nut or seed, water, and a blender. Despite the ease, though, many of us just don’t have the time, inclination or ingredients to make these by hand. 

Step in GROW UP, a sleek, countertop milk brewer designed to produce fresh, non-dairy milk within minutes. Users choose from a range of up to 10 different ingredients, including nuts, oats, coconuts, and hemp seed. All it takes to make a glass of fresh milk is one cup of the chosen ingredient, plus water, added to the top of the brewer. With the push of a digital button, the device makes fresh milk in less than six minutes.

There are two colours available – black and grey – and parts of the machine are dishwasher safe. GROW UP also does not use single use packaging, and the machine includes a self-cleaning function. The machine is currently available for pre-order with a $50 (around €46) deposit and is scheduled to be shipped in spring 2023.  

As well as milk, recent innovations in non-dairy products that Springwise has spotted include vegan cheeses, lab grown egg whites, and bacteria-based whipped cream.

Written By: Keely Khoury

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