The project
Our mission
The MY-FI project targets the development of responsible fabrics composed of a new and innovative material based on mycelium micro-fibres, to meet the latest market demands for beautiful, sustainable and functional materials.
The project
Our mission
We will develop a biobased textile made of mycelium fibres to meet the market demand for sustainable, functional, and animal free materials.
Why MY-FI?
The MY-FI project contributes to further improve the EU textile industry by developing mycelium-based fabrics. Such innovative materials are fully biobased, customizable, highly performing and can be produced through advanced manufacturing processes. Mycelium fabrics have the potential to match the consumers’ demands for sustainable and functional products, opening new designing opportunities for several market applications, resulting in positive economic impact and environmental relief. By valorising other industries’ residues, MY-FI will contribute to implement a cross-sectoral approach to Circular Economy, enhancing the competitiveness of local value chains.
MY-FI will thus boost growth of textile value chain in global markets, a key asset for EU economy and social well-being, employing 1.5 million people and composed by 160,000 companies (of which 99.8% are micro & small companies).
Why MY-FI?
The textile industry has a relevant impact on the environment. It contributes to the consumption of resources, pollution, microplastic release and climate change. That’s why in recent years consumers have been demanding sustainable high-quality textiles that move away from the current throwaway culture.
We present mycelium based textiles. They are fully biobased, customizable, highly performing and can be produced using advanced manufacturing processes. They have the potential to match the consumers’ demands for sustainable and functional products, opening up new designing opportunities for several market applications, resulting in positive economic impact and environmental relief.
Objectives
Technological Objectives
In MY-FI, we aim to deliver A beutiful, innovative, sustainable and functional material with advanced features for fashion and automotive brands.
The project partners are committed to sharing their respective technologies to further improve the mechanical and physical properties of raw flexible mycelium materials, to meet the end users’ demand for new functionalities.
Moreover, as part of MY-FI the partners will implement new methods for growing mycelium, targeting desirable advantages over traditional methods, including easier scalability, higher biomass concentration and lower resources consumption.
Environmental Objectives
While striving for reaching high functional performances, we aim at the development of new sustainable materials inspired by Nature.
We use secondary streams obtained from the agri-food industry that are non-food grade due to its low-quality and value. Thanks to the versatile metabolic capabilities of the fungal strains employed in the process it is possible to make use of complex streams coming from the grain milling or brewery industries, for instance.
Residues from the textile industry are also valorised by its combination with the mycelium hyphae to obtain hybrid materials with different properties and aesthetics.
Moreover, the residues generated in the current process are further valorised inside the different biofabrication processes to fully exploit the initial organic matter into the final products.
The principles that are inspiring our development are:
- Circular economy
- Resource savings
- Renewable sources for fashion and automotive
- Life cycle approach
- Clean production and limited environmental impact
- Sustainable business and consumption patterns for economy and society
Furthermore, neither pollutants nor microplastics will be released during the materials’ life-cycle and we will greatly reduce our water footprint.
Environmental Objectives
Together with reaching high functional performance, we want to develop a sustainable material following the principles of the circular economy. We will use waste from the agro-industrial and textile industry as carbon source for the mycelium growth and leftovers or waste will be reused. In addition, no pollutants will be released during the process and we will reduce our water footprint.
Economic objectives
Through MY-FI, we aim to bring mycelium fabrics in the market. For this purpose, the related materials must meet market expectations in terms of price and processual economic viability. Our approach, rooted in biofabrication, will greatly reduce the investment needed for scaling up the technology and for the consequent operative manufacturing costs. Finally, our innovative technologies and outcomes will also further simplify the functioning of the supply chain, allowing for local production of raw materials.
In synthesis, the MY-FI approach will allow to develop several factors that will contribute to the economic development of the EU textile industry:
- New materials
- New processes
- New companies
- New skilled jobs
- Short supply chains
- Reshoring
- Cost saving
- Innovative glocal business model
Social objectives
We will develop highly innovative materials, able to satisfy the evolving needs of customers driven by social responsibility. When designing our materials and our processes, we take in due consideration the emerging needs of our changing society, among which we like to emphasise:
- Evoled consumer needs
- New skills
- Attract new/ young generations
- Safety for workers and consumers
- New nusiness model with a positive impact on society
- Boosting local value chain competitiveness
The materials will be safe for both consumers and workers, as mycelium fabrics will be produced without using harmful chemical compounds. Furthermore, we will design a decentralized production model favouring economic growth and job creation within local value chains.
Finally, as part of MY-FI we will provide clear guidelines for policymakers and industrial stakeholders, setting new sustainability standards to facilitate the market uptake of our innovative biobased fabrics as part of the textile sector.
Social objectives
We want to develop a safe and vegan-friendly material which will be able to satisfy customers driven by ethic and social responsibility. We will also produce mycelium fabrics without using harmful chemical compounds and we will develop a decentralized production model for economic growth and job creation in rural areas.
Finally, one of our objectives is to provide guidelines for policymakers and industrial stakeholders to facilitate the market uptake of innovative biobased fabrics in the textile sector.
