Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MY-FI (Reinventing a smart, circular and competitive textile industry with advanced myco-fibres)
Période du rapport: 2022-05-01 au 2023-10-31
The MY-FI project aims at providing an innovative, functional, high-value, and environmentally responsible biobased material, naturally grown by means of fungal fermentation. MY-FI has developed two biofabrication technologies that rely on partnering with fungal microorganisms and employing their vegetative body – the mycelium – as the key living ingredient, binding and transforming substrates, and turning them into an unprecedented class of materials, for fashion, automotive, and beyond. The innovation aims to give the textile industry with alternatives for contributing in reaching a climate neutral Europe by 2050.
The main idea behind it relies on shifting from an exploitative paradigm, depending on exhaustible resources, to a thoroughly generative one, rooted in cooperation with Nature.
By applying this concept, the MY-FI project is working towards the achievement of four high-level goals:
• Empowering the European textile industry to face the forthcoming challenges, such as increasing its resource efficiency, environmental sustainability, products functionalities, job creation, and ultimately value generation
• Meet the consumer demand for new functional and high-quality textiles sourced from renewable resources
• Relief the environmental pressure related to the European textile industry, in terms of generating near zero losses and zero microplastics, reducing CO2 emissions and water consumption in industrial processes
• Engage the textile stakeholders and provide guidelines for policymakers, with the purpose of supporting the industrial development and market uptake of mycelium fabrics at European level
According to the principles of circular economy, prioritized by the European Union, MY-FI is deploying a biobased approach, by converting low-value substrates from the textile or food industry into valuable materials, through a mild and green process that aims at minimizing the input (energy, water, land and chemicals) and the wastes, and at avoiding toxic compounds for safer manufacturing.
The result is a mycelium-based material that can be grown in any size and shape with near-zero losses, through a sustainable, scalable and cost-competitive process which can be scaled-up at industrial level.
The MY-FI process paves the way for a new biobased industry in Europe that can reduce its dependency from non-EU countries for raw material supply, by relying on local, residual, and generative resources.
The main idea behind it relies on shifting from an exploitative paradigm, depending on exhaustible resources, to a thoroughly generative one, rooted in cooperation with Nature.
By applying this concept, the MY-FI project is working towards the achievement of four high-level goals:
• Empowering the European textile industry to face the forthcoming challenges, such as increasing its resource efficiency, environmental sustainability, products functionalities, job creation, and ultimately value generation
• Meet the consumer demand for new functional and high-quality textiles sourced from renewable resources
• Relief the environmental pressure related to the European textile industry, in terms of generating near zero losses and zero microplastics, reducing CO2 emissions and water consumption in industrial processes
• Engage the textile stakeholders and provide guidelines for policymakers, with the purpose of supporting the industrial development and market uptake of mycelium fabrics at European level
According to the principles of circular economy, prioritized by the European Union, MY-FI is deploying a biobased approach, by converting low-value substrates from the textile or food industry into valuable materials, through a mild and green process that aims at minimizing the input (energy, water, land and chemicals) and the wastes, and at avoiding toxic compounds for safer manufacturing.
The result is a mycelium-based material that can be grown in any size and shape with near-zero losses, through a sustainable, scalable and cost-competitive process which can be scaled-up at industrial level.
The MY-FI process paves the way for a new biobased industry in Europe that can reduce its dependency from non-EU countries for raw material supply, by relying on local, residual, and generative resources.
During the second reporting period, MY-FI achieved significant milestones in the upscaling of the biofabrication process and prototyping activities. The two lab-scale processes underwent optimization and were successfully scaled up to pilot scale: for the SLF, panels measuring 50x60cm were scaled up by a factor of 10 from lab-scale, with a 6.5-fold increase in high-quality material. Additionally, panels measuring 1sqm were also produced. Additional growing rooms and equipment were added to enhance efficiency and precision. The production is expected to reach 1900sqm by the project's end; the DLF process was optimized and successfully scaled up to 150L, with various tests conducted to determine the best parameters and conditions for high-quality material growth.
The raw material is entirely biodegradable and derived from renewable sources, requiring minimal inputs, low water, and no land or chemical use.
Materials obtained from the static liquid fermentation process show promise for transformation and application in the fashion and automotive industries. Collaborative efforts among MY-FI partners led to the successful transformation of these materials into finished products. Industrial post-processing resulted in materials with six different finishing types, subjected to tests for structural, mechanical, and aesthetic properties.
The materials have been utilized for prototyping in the fashion and automotive sectors, resulting in nine prototypes for the fashion industry and two for the automotive sector. These prototypes have been showcased to partners and Stakeholder Advisory Board members.
Biodegradability tests have been conducted on the finished material and Life Cycle Assessment and Cost Analysis for the Surface Liquid Fermentation and wet-processing have been performed.
The exploitation and communication plan follow the MY-FI project's progress. Significant project results are shared through the MY-FI website, social media channels, newsletters, and participation in conferences and events. Stakeholders are encouraged to sign up for the newsletter to stay updated on MY-FI's progress. The Stakeholder Advisory Board, comprising key stakeholders, has met three times since the project's start and those meetings focused on the main results of the project with a specific focus on bio-fabrication, post-processing process and prototyping. The main outcomes are that the material is very interesting for the market and stakeholders consider it a good starting point for a new era of materials in various sectors. The touch and aspect of the raw material is very interesting and it should be emphazised. More work is needed for reaching better performances.
The raw material is entirely biodegradable and derived from renewable sources, requiring minimal inputs, low water, and no land or chemical use.
Materials obtained from the static liquid fermentation process show promise for transformation and application in the fashion and automotive industries. Collaborative efforts among MY-FI partners led to the successful transformation of these materials into finished products. Industrial post-processing resulted in materials with six different finishing types, subjected to tests for structural, mechanical, and aesthetic properties.
The materials have been utilized for prototyping in the fashion and automotive sectors, resulting in nine prototypes for the fashion industry and two for the automotive sector. These prototypes have been showcased to partners and Stakeholder Advisory Board members.
Biodegradability tests have been conducted on the finished material and Life Cycle Assessment and Cost Analysis for the Surface Liquid Fermentation and wet-processing have been performed.
The exploitation and communication plan follow the MY-FI project's progress. Significant project results are shared through the MY-FI website, social media channels, newsletters, and participation in conferences and events. Stakeholders are encouraged to sign up for the newsletter to stay updated on MY-FI's progress. The Stakeholder Advisory Board, comprising key stakeholders, has met three times since the project's start and those meetings focused on the main results of the project with a specific focus on bio-fabrication, post-processing process and prototyping. The main outcomes are that the material is very interesting for the market and stakeholders consider it a good starting point for a new era of materials in various sectors. The touch and aspect of the raw material is very interesting and it should be emphazised. More work is needed for reaching better performances.
MY-FI aims at bringing improvements at the environmental, scientific, socio-economical, and industrial levels:
- Demonstrate that biofabrication processes are innovative as they use low water, energy, land and no chemicals and can be upscaled in different and remote areas by valorizing low value substrates
- Enabling material value chains to become more resource efficient and circular, and reduce their CO2, land and water footprint
- Create new bio-based and mycelium-based materials for application in various sectors like the fashion and automotive with low environmental impact and high quality
- Demonstrate the upscaling at industrial level of biofabrication processes
- Implement new bio-based value chains in remote areas by leveraging their potential
- Increase the market share of mycelium-based materials
- Deliver results allowing for efficient feedback into EU policymaking in research, innovation, and technology
- Raise awareness and create a better framework for systemic innovation and uptake of results through stakeholder engagement
MY-FI aims to integrate with future industry models and lead innovation. One of the project’s goals is to pave the way for a new mycelium-based industry where biofabrication is an established manufacturing technique aided by digital technologies and mycelium-based material can revolutionize sectors such as the fashion.
The desired outcome of MY-FI can be defined as follows:
- Upscale of the biofabrication and transformation processes at industrial level
- Achieve a functional, performing, high-value mycelium-based material with attractive potential for brands, designers and creators
- Demonstrate the viability of mycelium-based material in the fashion and automotive industry, increasing awareness about mycelium possibilities
- Assessment of environmental footprint and economic sustainability and providing ecolabelling
- Support EU policy makers with insights to leverage innovation and bring the mycelium technology to the market also through new Product Category Rules
- Enhance the creation of a biobased industry, rising the market demand for sustainable products and contributing to a regulatory framework for a circular economy and new mycelium-based materials
- Demonstrate that biofabrication processes are innovative as they use low water, energy, land and no chemicals and can be upscaled in different and remote areas by valorizing low value substrates
- Enabling material value chains to become more resource efficient and circular, and reduce their CO2, land and water footprint
- Create new bio-based and mycelium-based materials for application in various sectors like the fashion and automotive with low environmental impact and high quality
- Demonstrate the upscaling at industrial level of biofabrication processes
- Implement new bio-based value chains in remote areas by leveraging their potential
- Increase the market share of mycelium-based materials
- Deliver results allowing for efficient feedback into EU policymaking in research, innovation, and technology
- Raise awareness and create a better framework for systemic innovation and uptake of results through stakeholder engagement
MY-FI aims to integrate with future industry models and lead innovation. One of the project’s goals is to pave the way for a new mycelium-based industry where biofabrication is an established manufacturing technique aided by digital technologies and mycelium-based material can revolutionize sectors such as the fashion.
The desired outcome of MY-FI can be defined as follows:
- Upscale of the biofabrication and transformation processes at industrial level
- Achieve a functional, performing, high-value mycelium-based material with attractive potential for brands, designers and creators
- Demonstrate the viability of mycelium-based material in the fashion and automotive industry, increasing awareness about mycelium possibilities
- Assessment of environmental footprint and economic sustainability and providing ecolabelling
- Support EU policy makers with insights to leverage innovation and bring the mycelium technology to the market also through new Product Category Rules
- Enhance the creation of a biobased industry, rising the market demand for sustainable products and contributing to a regulatory framework for a circular economy and new mycelium-based materials