What’s Needed to Integrate Bio-Based Materials Into Existing Supply Chains?
In this week’s episode of Crash Course Fashion, DuPont Biomaterials Global Business Director Mike Saltzberg; Material Innovation Initiative’s Thomasine Dolan; and Prime Movers Lab’s Gaetano Crupi discuss what’s needed to integrate bio-based materials into existing supply chains led by Glossy reporter, Zofia Zwieglinska. This discussion first aired during the 2022 Sustainable Fashion Forum and was powered by DuPont Biomaterials.
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Key Takeaways
While there’s significant demand for next-gen materials from consumers and brands, most of these innovative materials are still in the R&D phase and require investment and time to scale.
It’s not enough to simply bring a bio-based material to market. It also needs to be high-performance and at a price point that's affordable to the consumer so that it can truly be an alternative to the incumbent materials currently being used.
High-in brands tend to be the ones adopting and investing in next-gen materials however, because of fashion’s liner ‘make-take-waste’ model, there’s significant value in fast fashion companies integrating bio-based materials into their supply chain.
Government intervention is needed to level the playing field and provide support for bio-based materials to complete with the incumbent materials.
Brands can play a tremendous role in scaling next-gen materials but they can’t focus on getting the cheapest price. Next-gen materials can get to parade but they need support from the industry to scale and drive down prices.
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Background
For many brands and designers, material innovation is top of mind as they navigate the future of fashion and sustainability. From deforestation and soil degradation to massive chemical and water use, raw material sourcing and processing contribute heavily to fashion's carbon footprint and account for a significant amount of each garment's environmental impact.
Drawing inspiration from nature, next-generation bio-based materials use science and innovation to cut the environmental footprint of existing textiles and are often held up as alternatives to animal or petroleum-derived textiles while still maximizing optimal aesthetics and performance...at least that’s the goal.
Sourced from a wide range of biomass, using technologies like precision fermentation and tissue engineering, there has been a significant increase in the ecosystem of next-gen materials. These materials could enable brands to meet their climate commitments, prepare for incoming regulations, and respond to shifting consumer sentiment and rising environmental awareness.
However, despite the industry's demand and rapidly accelerating landscape, the market is still nascent. What are the challenges of scaling material innovations for commercial use? What's needed to effectively integrate next-gen materials into brands’ current business models and supply chains to leverage the sustainability benefits while contributing to increased profitability?
