Every year, over 92 million tons of textile waste end up in our municipal landfills. Fabrics such as synthetic nylon can sometimes take around 200 years to decompose. Modern Synthesis is a biotech company looking to permanently dump those fabrics.
Perhaps best known for "growing" a sneaker, Modern Synthesis is able to create materials used for shoes, clothing, and many other textiles. The company utilizes bacteria to grow nanocellulose fibers in a process called "microbial weaving."
These nanocellulose fibers are a renewable, nanometer-sized material derived from cellulose. The company is able to harvest and process these fibers to create various textiles.
Modern Synthesis co-founder and CEO Jen Keane believes that the options are almost endless when it comes to microbial weaving. Speaking to TechCrunch, Keane referred to the buzz that the company's sneaker created. "I feel like that sort of misses the point," she said. "The fiber produced by bacteria — like, that's not a new thing."
According to Modern Synthesis, because of how nanocellulose fibers are produced, the material can be eight times as strong as steel. The fibers can be highly adaptable and designed with various textures.
Although the nanocellulose fibers can be manipulated in a number of ways, Keane also eyes the natural lifespan of the material. "You want your materials to last a lifetime or maybe two, like 100 years. You don't want them sticking around for thousands, which is what most of the synthetic materials will do," she said.
By designing textiles that are more sustainable, Modern Synthesis could help reduce the impact that fast fashion has on the amount of textile waste each year. As noted on the company's website, Modern Synthesis aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, waste, land use, and plastic pollution.
However, Keane hinted that nanocellulose fibers aren't solely limited to future use in the fashion industry. "Cellulosic materials don't melt like synthetics do," she said. "If you think about car dashboards, how it starts to melt when you sit in the sun too long. Our materials won't do that."
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