Colorful Textiles Inspired by Proteins Found in Discosoma Coral

Innovation: Industry

Werewool

2020

Physically Assemble Structure

Living systems use physical materials to create structures to serve as protection, insulation, and other purposes. These structures can be internal (within or attached to the system itself), such as cell membranes, shells, and fur. They can also be external (detached), such as nests, burrows, cocoons, or webs. Because physical materials are limited and the energy required to gather and create new structures is costly, living systems must use both conservatively. Therefore, they optimize the structures’ size, weight, and density. For example, weaver birds use two types of vegetation to create their nests: strong, a few stiff fibers and numerous thin fibers. Combined, they make a strong, yet flexible, nest. An example of an internal structure is a bird’s bone. The bone is comprised of a mineral matrix assembled to create strong cross-supports and a tubular outer surface filled with air to minimize weight.

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Modify Light/Color

Color in living systems comes from pigments and the interaction of light with surfaces. Color serves many purposes for living systems, such as attracting prey or mates, providing warnings, or protecting through camouflage. To create the effects needed for each purpose, living systems must control the expression or visibility of pigments and the interactions (such as reflectance and refraction) of light. To do so, they have strategies that modify color or light to increase or decrease the color’s position, intensity, opacity, and more. Male hummingbirds, for example, have brightly colored feather patches on their throats; the coloring comes from pigments, structures that refract light, or a combination of the two. When a male hummingbird hovers near a potential mate, it modifies the angle of these feathers to create a bright, colorful display. However, when it needs to mute the colors to reduce conspicuousness, such as to avoid a predator, it modifies the angle again.

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Werewool uses proteins found in nature to create color without the use of toxic chemicals or dyes.

Benefits

Reduced carbon emissions
Reduced waste
Reduced chemical use

Applications

Clothing
Textiles
Manufacturing

UN Sustainable Development Goals Addressed

Goal 12: Responsible Production & Consumption

The Challenge

The global textile market produces 1.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent per year and uses dyes that are responsible for 20% of global wastewater. The industry also depends on petroleum based synthetic fibers that account for 35% of global microplastic pollution.

Innovation Details

Werewool is creating a revolutionary fiber development platform to create biodegradable fibers with tailored aesthetic and performance properties. Inspired by nature, and utilizing the tools of biotechnology, Werewool is developing a platform to design fibers at the DNA level for sustainable textiles with inherent properties such as color, moisture management, and stretch, that meet the demands of today’s consumers. The team identifies structures found in nature, such as the red fluorescent protein found in some species of Discosoma, a coral relative. They then grow fibers that are reliant on these proteins, creating textiles without the need for toxic dyes, finishes, and petroleum based synthetics.

Watch how Werewool uses proteins found in nature to produce natural color.

Biological Model

Nature’s organisms have evolved structural proteins to support their ability to survive. For example, the Discosoma Coral depends on the structure of RFP (red fluorescent protein) as a source of colorant to support a symbiotic relationship with an algae to survive. Werewool is emulating proteins found in nature to create natural color, and apply it to create textiles without the use of dyes or s.

See Related Content

Biological Strategy

Protein Turns Sunlight Into Vivid Color

Mushroom anemone

Proteins made by Discosoma mushroom anemones produce color by using the sun’s energy to generate specific wavelengths of light.

Ray of Hope Prize

The Ray of Hope Prize® celebrates nature-inspired solutions addressing the world’s biggest environmental and sustainability challenges. Created in honor of Ray C. Anderson, founder of Interface, Inc. and a business and sustainability leader, the $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize helps startups cross a critical threshold in becoming viable businesses by amplifying their stories and providing them with equity-free funding. The prize shines a light on the innovative, nature-inspired solutions that we need to build a sustainable and resilient world. Werewool was selected as a finalist for the 2020 Ray of Hope Prize.

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