Tea Leather? Another Tall Clothing Material.

Many people prefer leather material clothes, but this is a serious problem for environmental protection.

Recently, Young-A Lee, an associate professor of fashion design at Iowa State University, and her team developed a special cellulose fiber material produced by tea by-products. This green material is expected to replace traditional labor.

Material Science.

Eco leather made from by-products of Kombucha

Entering Lee's textile and clothing laboratory, cellulose fiber gel film material boxes can be seen everywhere.

This cellulose fiber is a by-product of Kombucha, a sugar sweetened herbal tea, also known as "Kombucha", produced by fermentation process. It is produced through the use of bacteria and yeast symbiont (SCOBY), and the absorption of nutrients from vinegar and sugar mixture to produce this special cellulose fiber thin film.

According to an article published on the website of Iowa State University, the SCOBY film is similar to leather in nature after being molded and dried, and can be used to make garments, shoes or handbags. Lee

Fibrous fibrous gelatin film material box

In Sustainable Fibres for Fashion Industry, Lee mentioned her research results.

This cellulose fiber has been tested in cosmetics, food and wound dressings, but its application in garment industry is relatively new.

Lee said that the 100% biodegradable fiber will be the gospel of the fashion industry, which will significantly reduce waste.

"For most people, fashion represents a short culture, art and craft," she said.

Every year, fashion companies continuously produce new products to meet consumers' desires and needs.

Think about the final destination of those clothes. They will occupy a lot of underground space like other garbage. "

Cellulosic fibers reduce waste through continuous reuse or regeneration.

At present, even if clothes are recycled or reused, they will eventually be thrown into the trash can.

Lee's truly recyclable fabrics or materials are biodegradable and can eventually be returned to the soil in the form of nutrients.

At the same time, use SCOBY to let.

The use of by-products has reduced the dependence of the garment industry on non renewable materials.

The study of new fibers will inevitably encounter various difficulties.

Lee and her team won the permission of the US Environmental Protection Agency to develop eco clothes and shoes with cellulosic fibers.

They conducted a number of tests to verify the feasibility of replacing cellulose with SCOBY cellulose fibers.

Tests show that the main problem of the material in replacing leather products is that the waistcoat and shoe shoes made of this material will absorb moisture in the air and the wearer. Moisture will soften the material and reduce its durability. In addition, the researchers also find that the material becomes brittle when the temperature is too low, and the performance of the material is limited under low temperature.

Another problem that needs to be overcome is how to mass produce.

According to Lee, the material needs to grow in the laboratory for 3~4 weeks, depending on temperature and indoor conditions.

Her team is exploring ways to shorten the growth cycle.

Lee said, "it doesn't take such a long time to make a specific synthetic material, but the material we are studying requires a certain time to grow and dry and deal with it under certain conditions.

If our project is successful, this cellulose fiber fabric will help us to enter the sustainable system in the future and no longer rely on materials extracted from non renewable energy sources. "

Lee says it is the only way to overcome these problems. The harm of cheap clothing that is thrown away is much more than wasted. Producing synthetic materials and dyeing chemicals will also pollute water and soil.

In addition to the efforts of the fashion industry, consumers should also strengthen their awareness.

"Consumers' social awareness is very important. Practitioners in the fashion industry need to have a deep understanding of this change.

The change of industry is not achieved overnight, which is related to all practitioners.

The key is to change their values and consider improving the human and the earth in the long run, rather than getting short-term benefits from consumers.

Lee says.

For many consumers, support for an environment-friendly brand is very good.

But the appearance and wearing sense of clothing will affect purchase decisions.

Lee and her team organized a survey to show a sample of vest made of cellulose fiber. Most students thought that this vest was made of leather, raw hide, pulp and even plastic.

The students who participated in the survey were most concerned about the color and texture of the material, and asked about comfort, durability and maintenance matters.

They are positive about this sustainable material and consider it an interesting substitute for leather.

But their willingness to purchase this material product is not high.

Lee firmly believes that researchers can successfully overcome the difficulties that lie ahead. She and team members hope that this new material will help more consumers become advocates of environmental protection clothing.