Biophilica Leather: Turning Green Waste into an Advanced, Sustainable Material

时尚浪费是一个巨大的问题：它是线性的（而不是循环的），碳密集，水密集，破坏生物多样性，并且在环境上非常不可持续。时装业占全球排放量的10%，并在牛皮和棉花等材料上使用化石燃料和水等重要资源。不可生物降解的塑料微纤维来源于化石燃料，也是微塑料的最大来源之一，占所有海洋废物的35%。时尚工艺，如染色材料，在很大程度上是有毒和有害的。** 2019冠状病毒病表明了** **全球材料供应链的脆弱性**以及英国在原材料供应方面建立弹性的必要性。“亲生物”为英国提供了一个生产优质纺织品的机会。我们的愿景是开发一种类似于皮革但不会对环境造成危害的替代圆形材料。**Biophilica皮革是一种纯素皮革，它是：***由绿色废物制成，否则将用于堆肥，不含石化材料或来自化石燃料的化合物-不含聚氨酯或PVC*一种可在陆地和水中生物降解的循环材料*碳负并通过来自植物的天然废物来源来抵消*低用水，使用约0.003%的水来制造相同数量的棉花*零浪费和循环，在早期的实验室测试中，亲生物皮革比同类合成皮革更耐用、更通用、更耐磨。它是一种合适的替代品，可以在由替代皮革制成的袋子、皮带或鞋子的相同张力和压力下表现出色，并将在项目中通过ISO标准的广泛测试。在Covid-19大流行期间，素食主义者的人数**增加了25% **。纯素皮革行业正在迅速增长，预计到2025年将达到896亿美元。转向替代材料的政策激励包括：(1)减少微塑料和海洋污染的意图，包括英国对一次性塑料的监管；(2)由埃伦·麦克阿瑟基金会（Ellen MacArthur Foundation）等企业主导的倡议支持的循环经济的增长；(3)国会议员就向高街零售商征收1便士服装税进行辩论，以资助年度回收计划。Biophilica提供了一种切实可行、可扩展的解决方案，有望在2022年实现商业化。该项目涉及Biophilica、CPI、Intertek和西南环境有限公司。

Fashion waste is a huge problem: It is linear (as opposed to circular), carbon-intensive, water-intensive, destructive to biodiversity and very environmentally unsustainable. The **fashion industry is responsible for 10% global emissions** and uses vital resources, such as fossil fuels and water, on materials like cow-hide leather and cotton. Plastic microfibres, which are not biodegradable and derived from fossil fuels, are also one of the largest sources of microplastics, contributing 35% of all marine waste. Fashion processes, such as dyeing materials are, in the most part, toxic and harmful.**COVID-19 has demonstrated the** **fragility of the global materials supply chain** and the need for UK to build resilience in the supply of raw materials. Biophilica presents an opportunity to produce premium textiles here in the UK.Our vision is to scale an alternative circular material that is similar to leather but leaves no harm to the environment.**Biophilica Leather is a vegan leather that is:*** Made from green waste that would otherwise be used for compost, and contains no petrochemical materials or compounds derived from fossil fuels -- no polyurethane or PVC* A circular material that biodegrades on land and in water* Carbon negative and offset by being a natural source of waste derived from plants* Low water, and uses ~0.003% of the water used to make the same amount of cotton* Zero waste and circular, where all waste materials from the production process can be reusedIn early lab testing, Biophilica Leather is more durable, versatile and hard-wearing than comparable synthetic leathers. It is an appropriate substitute that will excel under the same strains and stresses of bags, belts or shoes made from alternative leathers, and will be extensively tested to ISO standards within the project.The number of people identifying as vegan has **increased by 25% in the Covid-19 pandemic**. The vegan leather industry is rapidly growing and projected to be worth $89.6bn USD (2025). Policy incentives to shift to alternative materials include (i) intention to reduce microplastics and marine pollution, including UK regulation on single-use plastics, (ii) growth of the circular economy, supported by business-led initiatives such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (iii) MP debate on a 1p clothing tax for high street retailers to fund an annual recycling scheme. Biophilica offers a tangible and scalable solution that could be commercialised by 2022\.This project involves Biophilica, CPI, Intertek and Southwest Environmental Limited.