Plastic free vegan leather that dyes itself grown from bacteria
Researchers at Imperial College London have genetically engineered bacteria to grow animal- and plastic-free leather that dyes itself.
In recent years, scientists and companies have started using microbes to grow sustainable textiles or to make dyes for industry -- but this is the first time bacteria have been engineered to produce a material and its own pigment simultaneously.Synthetic chemical dyeing is one of the most environmentally toxic processes in fashion, and black dyes -- especially those used in colouring leather -- are particularly harmful. The researchers at Imperial set out to use biology to solve this.In tackling the problem, the researchers say their self-dyeing vegan, plastic-free leather, which has been fashioned into shoe and wallet prototypes, represents a step forward in the quest for more sustainable fashion. Their new process, which has been published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, could also theoretically be adapted to have bacteria grow materials with various vibrant colours and patterns, and to make more sustainable alternatives to other textiles such as cotton and cashmere. Lead author Professor Tom Ellis, from Imperial College London's Department of Bioengineering, said: "Inventing a new, faster way to produce sustainable, self-dyed leather alternatives is a major achievement for synthetic biology and sustainable fashion. "Bacterial cellulose is inherently vegan, and its growth requires a tiny fraction of the carbon emissions, water, land use and time of farming cows for leather. "Unlike plastic-based leather alternatives, bacterial cellulose can also be made without petrochemicals, and will biodegrade safely and non-toxically in the environment
