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Expanding the range of sustainable materials
Brewed Protein materials are fibers, films, and other types of materials that are manufactured through fermentation (brewing) of plant-based ingredients.
This new class of material is created using Spiber’s proprietary technology platform that enables customized design and molecular engineering of nature-inspired protein polymers.
These materials can offer alternative solutions to a wide range of conventional animal-based, plant-based and synthetic materials for various purposes, including textiles applications for the apparel industry, which is our first primary focus.
In the early 20th century, humanity embarked on a new era of polymer material development with the invention of petrochemical plastics. People have been synthesizing new polymers and developing new materials ever since, and today we find ourselves surrounded by synthetic fibers, resins, rubbers, and other materials born of the union between petroleum and chemistry.
However, long before humans were aware of the vast possibilities of polymers, life on earth had been carrying out trial-and-error experiments for billions of years to design an enormous variety of molecules. One class of these molecules, proteins, serves as the structural building blocks for biomaterials such as skin, nails, and hair. Over the course of 3.8 billion years, steady improvements to the functionality of protein polymers have allowed life to survive.
Spiber has established the keystone technologies for replicating the process of protein evolution—which requires millions of years in nature—in the laboratory, where it can be achieved in a matter of years or even months. We pursue these research and development initiatives as part of our mission to unlock the potential of these miraculous materials for industrial use in the hopes of offering one piece of the puzzle needed to accelerate humanity’s shift towards a more sustainable society.
Brewed Protein materials hold a diverse range of possibilities. In particular, Brewed Protein fibers, with their soft and luxurious touch, serve as a powerful and creative alternative to animal-derived protein materials such as cashmere and wool. When compared to these traditional materials, they have the potential to significantly reduce impacts on animals and the environment.
Based on the findings of our critically reviewed comparative LCA study, we believe Brewed Protein production emits fewer GHG emissions, requires 97% less water, and causes 99% less land-use related harm when compared to cashmere production.
Non-biodegradable petrochemical fibers are known to cause microplastic pollution in natural environments, but just because a fiber is bio-based does not mean that it is also biodegradable.
Undyed Brewed Protein fibers have been demonstrated to biodegrade in marine environments. This means that Brewed Protein fibers which are released into marine environments through washing or wear and tear will break down into nutrients and return to the biosphere. Additionally, a laboratory-scale degradation test (ISO 20200) has demonstrated that fabrics made with undyed Brewed Protein fiber can degrade in soil environments. We will continue to conduct further testing under various conditions and in different environments, and will release more information regarding the biodegradability of our materials once additional results are available.
Our first commercial-scale fermentation plant in Thailand began production in 2022, and another plant in the USA is scheduled to begin operations as soon as possible.
Both the Thailand and USA polymer production plants are strategically located close to agricultural cropland for our key feedstocks (sugarcane in Thailand and corn in the USA) and will be ramping up their scale of production over the coming years.
Processing of polymers into fibers will take place at our in-house spinning facility in Tsuruoka, Japan.
Spiber uses sugars obtained from agricultural products such as sugarcane and corn as the main feedstock for the production of Brewed Protein materials. We believe it is our responsibility to ensure that these agricultural supply chains are rooted in sustainable practices. Accordingly, in addition to procuring sugar from certified suppliers, we also implement additional sustainable agriculture practices based on regional priorities identified through collaboration with our suppliers and NGOs.
Spiber is certified against the Bonsucro Chain of Custody Standard. This certification provides assurance that our primary feedstock, sugarcane, adheres to our sustainability claims, which allows for traceability throughout the supply chain from origin to end product, and ensures that Brewed Protein fiber is produced from sustainable Bonsucro-certified material.
Bonsucro is the leading global sustainability platform and standard in the sugarcane industry. It defines standards for environmental and socioeconomic sustainability relevant to sugarcane growing and processing, and manages a certification system to sugar mills that adhere to these standards. Spiber takes pride in the fact that Brewed Protein polymers produced at our Thai Plant are made from Bonsucro-certified sugar.
The Brewed Protein polymer we will be producing in the US in partnership with ADM will be made from corn grown locally in the Midwestern United States. Research has shown that significant soil degradation has occurred due to decades of intensive agriculture in this region, resulting in various environmental issues related to topsoil loss and eutrophication.
To overcome these issues and start restoring the health of the soil used to grow our feedstock, we intend to implement a multi-phase plan of sustainable agriculture practices together with our glucose supplier ADM, agronomists from local NGOs, and corn growers willing to implement regenerative farming practices. The first of these phases includes the sourcing of corn from farmers who implement cover crops. Future phases of our sustainable agriculture plans in the US will include practices to efficiently reduce fertilizer usage and support biodiversity and wildlife.