New Zealand startup Sapro-Tech has discovered a way to grow fungi into a textile that has the same properties as leather. According to founder Keith Hudson, it had discovered a way to produce layers of mycelia that could be grown together in sheets. This will allow Sapro-Tech to create a variety of textiles that were more consistent, more scalable and more similar to animal-based leather than existing fungi products.
Hudson: “They both have fibres in them. In leather’s case, it's protein collagen. In mycelium, you have carbohydrates from the cell wall. Essentially you end up with the same sort of long polymer molecules. You get similar tensile strength and other properties that are in leather and make it durable.”
The business was now working on creating relationships with players in the handbag and leather goods market.
Source: stuff.co.nz