A growing number of products claim to be sustainable. They are characterized by having a smaller environmental impact when manufactured and disposed, but their path to market is not always straightforward and they require the support of science and ingenuity.
A line of silver brewing tanks occupies part of a bio-industrial facility in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture. The tanks are owned by Spiber Inc., a start-up out of Keio University that uses microorganisms to create a new material the company calls "Brewed Protein," a fiber inspired by spider silk.
Spider silk is thin, but it is 340 times stronger than steel by weight. Because it is a protein, it is biodegradable. The company's "man-made spider silk" has attracted attention as a next-generation material that takes advantage of these characteristics.
Data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and other sources indicate the fashion industry is responsible for about 20% of the world's wastewater and releases 500,000 tons of tiny synthetic fiber particles into the oceans every year.
Consumers are buying 60% more clothing than 15 years ago, while the time until clothes are thrown away has been cut in half. Today's industry is in need of a structural shift to sustainability.
Junichi Sugahara, 36, the company's director and an executive officer, succeeded in synthesizing spider silk using microorganisms while a student at Keio University. He and his partners started the business in 2007 with the goal of manufacturing fibers and other materials without relying on petroleum for raw materials.
They studied the structure of spider silk at the molecular level and engineered DNA accordingly. They were able to develop thread suitable for clothing and other items by incorporating this DNA into microorganisms.
In 2015, the company raised more than 10 billion yen in capital and finally developed its products. But then they ran into trouble.
The thread would shrink considerably when it got wet, meaning the size of clothing would change when washed. The problem would be easy to solve by using water-repellent chemicals, but according to Sugahara: "All of our employees value our founding aspiration. We decided to start over on the molecular design to reduce the environmental impact, even if it took longer."
They made improvements such as by identifying the cause of the shrinkage and removing the responsible DNA.
They found designers who supported the company's mission and held a fashion show in Paris. Their first product, the Moon Parka, was not released until 2019, but they sold out their supply of 50 of them for 150,000 yen each.
They plan to start full-scale protein production in Thailand in 2021, aiming to produce several hundred tons per year. Overcoming a crisis helped a corporate culture that prioritizes sustainability take root.
"If we can improve the antibacterial and deodorizing properties of materials so they don't need as much washing, products will last longer, leading to less waste. We also want to reexamine the nutrients we use to feed the microorganisms and our sources of electricity to bring our greenhouse gas emissions close to zero," Sugahara said.
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