We produce a superior material while prioritising our planet
Using cutting-edge technology modelled on nature’s own design, Spain-based Polybion creates premium, high-performance biomaterials from fruit waste. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, Polybion CEO Axel Gómez-Ortigoza discusses next generation biomaterials and the company’s expansion plans.
What are biomaterials? What are their uses in the textiles and apparel industry?
Biomaterials are any bio-based material, meaning a material that contains partially or in whole, elements that come from living beings; this includes bio-based materials that contain natural components but are made using chemical and mechanical means i.e., natural fibre plus plastic, and bio assembled materials, that are actually grown from living cells and are made using biology and not chemistry or mechanics.
Can biomaterials be made from all fruit waste or only few types of fruits?
The promise of biology as technology is its versatility, both in inputs as well as in outputs. We (through our microbial partners) can process different waste streams to ‘grow’ different products, from leather to food.
There are several companies making artificial leather. How does Polybion differ from those companies?
We grow cell-based living materials, only similar to mycelium (fungi, mushroom) technologies but differing in that we are the first to successfully scale a bacterial cellulose process. Also, our technological pipeline based on synthetic biology and genetic engineering will enable us to produce not only leather but a plethora of materials, infinitely customisable for each client, each application, and each industry. This isn’t possible with alternatives, not even with mycelium.
Polybion uses locally produced agro-industrial fruit waste as raw material. Would these local industries be able to supply enough fruit waste when Polybion goes into large-scale manufacturing?
Yes. Part of our mid-term expansion plans include building smaller co-localised factories next to big clients, all using locally available waste from each geography.
Polybion has industrialised cellular agriculture. Please explain.
Cellular Ag stands for the controlled growth of cells under industrial environments, either bacterial, fungal, mammalian (animal cells), or the like. Just like hunter-gatherers mastered agriculture to control the growth of plants, seeds and fruits, which enabled nomads to become sedentary, we are now mastering the controlled growth of cell types. This will enable us to locally grow (even in other planets) most of human goods and raw materials: from food to medicine and materials. And hence have a planetary impact on supply chains and human endeavours, transforming them from linear to circular.
What is Celium? Has it got anything to do with cellulose?
Celium is a bio assembled bio textile, composed of 100 per cent pure bacterial cellulose. Cel (derived from the word cellulose, the most abundant organic polymer on Earth) + ium (the Latin suffix used in chemical elements).
How does Polybion’s manufacturing process contribute to sustainability and decrease carbon footprint?
Our production model is REACH, EPA, and ZDHC compliant and concentrated within a 30-mile radius, dramatically reducing our carbon footprint. By upcycling waste, we prevent such waste from entering landfills where it normally putrefacts anaerobically, releasing methane. We also salvage water, present in the waste, from entering waste streams. With zero hazardous chemicals released in any part of the process, nor significant biomass outputs between growth cycles, Celium is as circular as it gets.
Polybion started only last year, and you have rebranded recently. What was the prime reason for rebranding?
Polybion was founded in early 2015, but we’ve been doing bio fabrication for almost a decade now. This is our fourth rebranding so far. We needed a new exoskeleton for our metamorphosis.
How do you plan to become the world’s most trusted company source for premium, next-generation biomaterials?
By manufacturing with the building blocks of life and circularising supply chains, we produce a superior material while prioritising our planet. This represents a paradigm shift from centuries of resource-mining practices to the regenerative cultivation of resources. Polybion is proud to be leading this charge.
Do you see Celium replacing natural leather anytime soon? Even for luxury products?
We see Celium and other bio assembled alternatives becoming great alternatives to both animal leather and plastic leather. We don’t want to replace leather, since Celium is a new category of its own. We still will see leather being used for some applications but gradually it will phase out. Just like horses are still used today for means of transportation, but cars are widespread; the same way we’ll see biofabricated goods take over traditional ones, whether it’s leather or meat.
What are your next plans of expansion, both in terms of capacity and geography?
Next capacity expansion will be 10x, so a 10 million sq ft per year facility. We want to serve the European and Asian markets as well as North America.
Published on: 24/05/2022
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
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