The New Synthetics: Could synthetic biology lead to sustainable textile manufacturing?

This chapter investigates a radically bold future for fashion inscribed within a new era of biological engineering, where fabrics can be produced by bacteria, and the supply chains of fashion brands are genetically programmed.

About the book: The clothing industry employs 25 million people globally contributing to many livelihoods and the prosperity of communities, to women’s independence, and the establishment of significant infrastructures in poorer countries. Yet the fashion industry is also a significant contributor to the degradation of natural systems, with the associated environmental footprint of clothing high in comparison with other products.