TEXTILES.ORG
One avenue of materials research involves biodegradable substrates. These materials have enzymes or bacteria as a part of their makeup so that when the products reach their end of life, they do not become part of the global textile waste problem. The GROWinK project is similar, although the ink, rather than the fiber, is the carrier.
Materials researcher Peerasin Punxh Hutaphaet has developed fungi-based inks that encapsulate polymer decomposers, the bacteria Bacillus subtilis, turning whatever it’s printed on into a self-decomposing product following its end of life. The dormant spores activate with the correct conditions in humidity, pH, temperature and microbes, such as in humid or landfill environments, and proceed to break down the substrate. Existing soil microbes then can pitch in to continue the decomposition.
“The idea didn’t arrive all at once,” Hutaphaet says. “I started to wonder why ink, something so fleeting in purpose, had to be so permanent in impact. … GROWinK grew out of that simple curiosity: What if every message we print could one day decompose into nourishment instead of waste?”
GROWinK’s MYCO color system is in the pilot phase. It’s optimized for small-batch screen printing, which applies to textiles as well as paper. “The next stage is to integrate the inks into more advanced technologies developing formulations that work with inkjet and sublimation printers and ultimately adapting them for industrial cartridges” as well as further refinement and testing, he says.
Hutaphaet sees the target as ultra-short life cycle textiles, such as marathon wear, event branding and packaging. He is seeking collaborators such as designers, research labs and printing partners and can be reached via growink.co.uk.
Be sure to check out cutting-edge research, projects and art in the Swatches section of Specialty Fabrics Review each month.