Engineers are now able to make shoes out of bacteria cellulose.
In a shift towards sustainable fashion, a research team from Imperial College London has found a way to genetically engineer a bacterial cellulose strain that can be woven into wearable material.
At this point, you’re probably all familiar with the environmental issues surrounding the fashion industry: the vast quantities of water used, the use of cheap materials, and the amount of clothing that ends up in landfills.
It deserves to be said that many companies are taking the initiative to reduce their environmental impact when it comes to making clothing. Many are moving away from the use of animal products; some offer recycling programs, while others have implemented secondhand retail options embedded on their websites.
If I told you clothing made out of bacterial cellulose could soon be found in a store near you, would you believe me? Researchers from Imperial College London have found a way to make this happen. By genetically engineering bacteria cellulose, they were able to create a “shoe-like” vessel.
One of the benefits of bacterial cellulose is that it is a vegan alternative to animal leather. Compared to animal leather, the carbon emissions, water, and land use of bacterial cellulose are only a small fraction. Moreover, this material can be biodegradable relatively quickly in the environment.
The bacteria cellulose that the researchers chose to use ( Komagataeibacter rhaeticus) creates a self-pigmenting bacterial strain and creates a dark black coloration. This is a significant benefit compared to the synthetic dying process, which uses a lot of resources and can be toxic and harmful to the environment.
The process of creating the bacteria cellulose shoe-like vessel took about two weeks. First, the researchers genetically modified the bacteria cellulose, which they manipulated to grow over a shoe-shaped mold. When it was finished, they placed the material into a machine at 86 degrees Fahrenheit, which allowed the bacteria to change color (self-pigmenting). The final product was attached to a pre-made sole.
The researchers are confident that the production of these bacteria cellulose made shoes can be scaled at an industrial level and has the potential to create a new class of textiles. Additional testing would be needed to test the color fastness (the ability of a fabric or dyed material to retain its color when subjected to various environmental conditions or stresses) and the overall sustainability of the production, as they are concerned with the amount of water needed to engineer the bacterial cellulose.
The concept of making clothing out of bacteria cellulose or utilizing microbial processes in textile production is relatively new in the context of mainstream fashion and textile industries. While bacteria have been used historically in certain traditional textile practices (such as fermentation techniques in producing fibers like hemp or linen), modern approaches that directly utilize bacteria for creating textiles represent a more recent development.
Much like how the researchers at Imperial College London use bacterial cellulose to make clothes, we also see examples of biofabrication, where microbes are genetically engineered to produce specific proteins or polymers that can be spun into fibers or used as coatings for textiles. Numerous academic and commercial research projects are making progress to optimize bacterial textile production methods, improve material properties, and explore new applications for these innovative materials in fashion, healthcare, and other industries.
While the concept of using bacteria cellulose to create clothing is still emerging and faces challenges related to scalability, cost-effectiveness, and consumer acceptance, it represents a promising avenue for sustainable innovation within the fashion and textile sectors. As research progresses and technologies mature, bacterial textiles have the potential to become a viable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional textile materials, and we may be purchasing bacteria-made shoes much sooner than you think.
