What is BIOMATERIAL In the Context of Fashion Industry?

The general assumption in the fashion industry is that biomaterial either contains biomass or biologically derived ingredients. Either made using biological processes or is biodegradable. At times all of the above.
However, there are no standards or guidelines for the emerging field of biofabricated materials at the time of writing. What do those materials contain? How are they made? What are the differences between them? Why is it so challenging to upscale them? And the most crucial question is, does “bio” mean better?  
Due to the ambiguity of the term “biomaterial”, general assumptions are made that if it’s “bio”, it must be better, or if it has “bio” in the name, it must be biodegradable. With such an enormous focus on environmental solutions in the current world, brands and consumers are seeking to make the right choices. Therefore, it is essential to address the language used to explain different processes and materials produced.
A diverse understanding of “biomaterials”, “biodesign” and “biofabrication” is common even amongst the scientific community. Precisely because the words have existing meanings in the field of science. While all the existing definitions for biofabrication mainly apply to the medical field, the broader scope allows the inclusion of disciplines beyond medicine, including textile applications.
In the context of material fabrication for fashion, the “living organisms” can include bacteria, yeast, algae, and mycelium. During the processes such as fermentation, a microorganism produces a material, but the microorganism is not a part of the final product.

Biofabricate, the experts in design and biomaterial product prototyping, published the report called “Understanding Biomaterial Innovations. A Primer For The Fashion Industry“. They included a table which explains the definitions of biofabricated materials. You can see it below.
Read the whole report at: https://rtsos.fadu.uba.ar/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Understanding-Bio-Material-Innovations-Report_©Biofabricate-and-Fashion-for-Good-2021.pdf [Accessed: 14th of February 2023].

In many ways, developing new material is a series of choices and compromises. One choice can affect another, for example, some materials need some chemical bonds in order to stabilise their durability, but this may affect the material's ability to degrade. Likewise, the materials needing aesthetic characteristics (e.g. for fashion) may need dyes included in their recipes, which can affect the material's durability. That being said, the timelines involved in developing materials using the tools of biotechnology are lengthy and complicated, which is at odds with an industry such as fashion which is moving at an exponential speed.
On the positive note, it is still just the dawn of a material revolution that will unfold over the coming decades. The promise of these technologies is that design biology allows accessing all the benefits of nature’s performance, aesthetics and beyond, yet without the same environmental footprint. Where old nature’s ecologies teach us how to proceed from sustainability towards regenerative design.
As idyllic as it sounds, however, whatever innovators or brands call their technologies and materials, and how much the consumer cares or understands about what those terms mean, it is not safe to assume that “bio” is better. Transparency and the discussion about the end-of-life (EoL) are crucial in the process. I will cover that in regards of materials that I am making, in the next blog entry.