The comfort of clothes comes from a stretchy material called spandex. From yoga pants to T-shirts, spandex provides the stretch that gives you ‘clothing comfort’. The demand for spandex isn’t slowing down, with projected growth rates of 2% to 8% yearly over the next decade. However, spandex is non-biodegradable and contains petroleum-based fibers that can release microplastics into the environment. These microplastics take centuries to decompose, polluting the environment over time.
Enter Good Fibes, a startup based at Tufts University and Argonne National Laboratory. Founded by Alexis Peña and Lauren Blake, Good Fibes uses recombinant DNA technology to derive a biodegradable alternative to spandex using lab-grown elastics. It aims to revolutionize the world of stretchy fabrics like spandex and elastane.
Good Fibes have combined the best features of silk and elastin by using proteins called silk elastin-like proteins or SELPs. These materials are stretchy and strong, and at the same time, they are biodegradable unlike their synthetic counterparts. The process revolves around producing proteins from E. coli bacteria and converting them into gel-like material which can be spun into fibers. There is one obstacle though: scalability. According to Peña, one kilogram of microbial material is needed to make a single patch of test fiber. Despite the shortcoming, the founders have high hopes about their eco-friendly spandex.
Good Fibes’ big break came in 2024, when they received a $200,000 grant from the US Department of Energy to explore nonwoven textiles. These textiles are bound by mechanical or chemical forces rather than weaving. They are typically used to make surgical masks and paper towels. The grant was used to buy a 3D bioprinter, allowing Good Fibes to create 3D patterns for nonwoven swatches. Now, major fashion and athletic apparel retailers have shown interest in their fabrics.
In 2022, Japanese biomaterials firm Spiber took the initiative to launch a commercial facility to produce fibers utilizing a bacterial fermentation process first developed in 2007. Their breakthrough inspired brands like The North Face and Goldwin to introduce mass-market garments made from protein-based textiles. Good Fibes are one of the power players in a broader trend of sustainable fashion. For the time being, Good Fibes plan to stretch the boundaries of what’s possible in textile innovation. The company can soon become the guiding light for other projects involving the production of eco-friendly elastics and stretchy material.
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