Mycelium-based textile material
Applicant(s): B4Plastics, Millvision, BioscienZ
Inventor(s): Timo Josephus, Petrus van Roosmalen, Wilhelmus De laat, Maria Theodorus Antonius, Tom Gheysens, Luciano Monsegue, Jan Thiewes Harm, Sander van Calker
Patent number: EP4764057A1
Publication date: June 24, 2026
Field: Mycelium-based textile material
Field of invention
This patent relates to the development of mycelium-based textile and leather-like materials as sustainable alternatives to conventional leather and synthetic textiles. The invention describes a method for producing textile materials from fungal mycelium using industrial fermentation and paper-making technologies.
Problem
Current leather and leather-like materials face significant sustainability challenges:
- Animal leather production relies heavily on resource-intensive tanning processes, often involving toxic chemicals such as chromium salts.
- Synthetic leather is typically produced from fossil-based raw materials and generates a high environmental impact.
- Existing bio-based leather alternatives frequently require petroleum-based additives to achieve sufficient performance.
- Most mycelium-based materials are produced via solid-state fermentation, a slow, labor-intensive, and energy-intensive process that is difficult to scale economically.
As a result, there remains a need for a cost-effective, scalable, and sustainable alternative to both animal and synthetic leather.
Solution
This invention proposes a manufacturing process based on:
- Growing filamentous fungi in submerged fermentation, rather than solid-state cultivation.
- Recovering the resulting mycelium biomass and blending it with fibers and a wet-strength agent.
- Processing the mixture through a paper production process to create continuous mycelium sheets.
- Impregnating the sheets with natural or modified natural oils to obtain a flexible, leather-like material.
- Optionally applying coatings or backing materials to tailor performance and appearance.
This approach enables the production of homogeneous mycelium-based textile materials using technologies that are already well established at industrial scale.
Advantages
The invention offers several benefits compared with existing technologies:
- Faster and more scalable production through submerged fermentation.
- Compatibility with continuous paper-making processes, improving industrial feasibility.
- Reduced environmental footprint by utilizing renewable feedstocks and upcycling agricultural or food waste streams.
- Petroleum-free material production, supporting circular and bio-based value chains.
- Mechanical properties comparable to leather, including flexibility and durability.
- Customizable performance and appearance through optional coatings, cross-linking, and reinforcement layers.
- Potential cost reductions compared with current mycelium production methods.
