Public Funding for Osmose Studio Ltd

This project is a collaboration between SAGES, Osmose Studio and Cranfield University. The project will test and refining three different methods for the application of SAGES food-waste derived dyes to Osmose's mycelium-leather. **THE NEED FOR A BIO-BASED LEATHER** _**Traditional Leathers**_ Leather has a disastrous impact on the environment and human health. To meet the demands of the fashion industry, over 50 million animals are reared and killed per year to make leather \[Stella McCartney,2021\]; contributing to destruction of forestry for farmland and the release of methane into the environment. With the demand for leather expected to double from 2022-2030, there is a clear need for cleaner and more renewable leather sources \[Globenewswire,2022\]. Leather requires tanning and a common chemical used is chromium (III), which if oxidised becomes chromium (VI), a known toxin and carcinogen. Leather tanning also produces hazardous wastewater effluent, solid waste, air pollutants, and exposes workers to harmful chemicals \[EPA\]. Leather-tannery workers in Sweden and Italy, found cancer risks between 20% and 50% above those expected \[PETA\]. Currently, praised 'vegan-leathers' are predominantly polymer-based which do not biodegrade. Osmose has developed a proprietary process for the creation of Mykko: a mycelium-based leather. In order to bring this to market and ensure biodegradeability, it is desirable for Mykko to come in a range of colours created using a bio-based dye. _**Synthetic Dyes**_ Although dyes have been known to mankind since ancient times, it was not until the late nineteenth century that synthetic forms began to be manufactured, causing a range of human health issues including high incidence of bladder cancer \[Christie,2007\], diseases such as dermatitis and disorders of the central nervous system \[Khan & Malik,2018\]. Synthetics now dominate the dyeing industry. Toxic chemicals and heavy-metals are used during the dyeing process and make it difficult for waste-effluent to be effectively cleaned. This is a major problem in countries which still dominate the dyeing industry like China, Bangladesh, Thailand and Indonesia. SAGES is a textiles industry start up making natural dyes from food-waste. These dyes are a bio-based solution to the harmful synthetic dyes the industry currently uses. 6 dye colours have been selected for further development in this project Pink, Yellow, Blue, Green, Coral, Purple. **OUR SOLUTION** SAGES will work with Osmose to test a range of dyeing applications to create a fully bio-based leather. Cranfield University has extensive knowledge in material innovation and will provide expertise on this project

Osmose is a material science and fashion design company developing low-impact textile dyeing processes for fashion applications using plant-based solutions. **COLOUR EARTH** Our project Colour Earth will develop a lab-tested sustainable textile dyeing and printing solution that can be applied at scale. It will be combined with a proof of concept to produce natural pigments locally that can support an entirely new supply chain and answer the land scarcity and soil health crisis in the UK. **The impact of synthetic dyes on the environment** The dyeing and treatment of clothing is globally responsible for 25% of all water pollution, \[[McKinsey 2020][0]\] with more than 8000 chemicals currently used in fashion \[Common Objective,2017\]. The treatment of textiles creates huge environmental challenges where biodiversity, waterways, land and entire ecosystems are being slowly degraded on a large scale \[[CNN,2020][1]\]. Made from fossil fuel and heavy metal-derived compounds, synthetic dyes are produced from extractive and non-renewable processes. They create hazardous wastewater, solid waste and air pollutants. They are not only toxic to aquatic life and other land mammals, they also impact human health, from garment workers to end consumers as known carcinogens \[[Biotechnology Research and Innovation][2], 2019\]. This creates disastrous environmental and health crisis in the Far and Middle East where most textile processing is carried out. Additionally, any synthetic dyeing process applied to organic textile fibre negates their biodegradability credentials. \[[Kumar,2018][3]\] **Low impact bio-based dye alternatives** With the demand for plant-based and sustainably produced clothing growing exponentially \[[Businesswire,2021][4]\] there is a clear need for low impact and regenerative supply chains and production processes in fashion. Novel dyeing solutions that are waterless, or gas-based still utilise synthetic compounds. They are currently too costly for brands to implement on a wider scale. \[[Earth911,2014][5]\] Ont he other hand, screen-printing, a widely used pattern-making and colouring process in fashion remains unexplored in combination with natural pigments, as it still relies on synthetic dyes and binders. **Our solution : Regenerative, plant-based and low chemical print paste formula** We will develop and prototype a low-cost, low-water usage textile printing application that relies on highly renewable natural pigments. With our collaborators, we will establish a plant-based, resilient, UK-based textile printing process to support the sustainable transition in our industry. [0]: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/biodiversity-the-next-frontier-in-sustainable-fashion [1]: https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/dyeing-pollution-fashion-intl-hnk-dst-sept/index.html [2]: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/biotechnology-research-and-innovation [3]: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324214252_Eco-friendly_dyes_and_dyeing_You_may_download_the_paper_from_the_following_link_httpsciedtecheujournalsadvmtenvscicurrent-issue [4]: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210111005582/en/Global-Ethical-Fashion-Market-Report-2020-Opportunities-Strategies-COVID-19-Impacts-Growth-and-Change-2019-2030---ResearchAndMarkets.com [5]: https://earth911.com/style/waterless-dyeing-cleaning-fashion/

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Pollution and climate change are becoming the most influential and impactful threats that we will have to face in our lifetime. What we make, buy and consume will affect many generations after us. Fashion, as one of the most polluting yet lucrative industries, is now forced to face the consequences of its activities. With the current challenges we are facing in terms of water /CO2 pollution, textile waste and global resource crisis, there is an urgent need for more realistic ecological fibre alternatives. Mykkö is a plant-based vegan option for luxury leather and industry-facing material. Our R&D project will aim to offer an avant-garde sustainable material for the fashion industry with a strong focus on accessories and leather goods, while still being applicable to apparel in following development phases. Our innovative textile production process employs mycelium combined with plant-based biodegradable fibres. Materialising a virtuous cycle by using organic fibres, our product's end-of-life will be embedded in the circular economy. Through this proposal, we will set up our first pilot manufacturing facility, allowing us to complete R&D on the design-for-manufacturing as well as further optimisation of our local wild mycelium cultures to ensure that the production achieves its intended goals. Eventually making bio-fabrication a reality for the fashion industry, we will contribute to the wider supply chain by breaking the exhausted linear cycle of textile production and offer a radically new model that relies on living systems creating new aesthetics and materials to appeal to more and more conscious customers.