Page 27 - New Cloth Market December 2022 Digital Edition

Vienna Textile Lab:

Fabricator of Organic Colors from Naturally Occurring Bacteria
AGES

The International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre's (ISC3) In-
vestor Forum 2022 was held on November 9th and 10th, 2022. The Forum
was organized by the ISC3 Innovation Hub located at DECHEMA e.V. in
Frankfurt. The Hub is home to the Global Start-up Service that accompa-
nies innovations in the field of Sustainable Chemistry in all development
stages, from the laboratory to market maturity to expansionphase. A total
of 121 registered international guests from Start-ups, finance, industry, sci-
ence, NGOs and politics took part in the virtual fourth International Investor
Forum. This year's competition focused on Sustainable Chemistry and
Waste: Prevention, Valorisation & Management and was endowed with a
total of EUR 25.000.
Vienna Textile Lab is an Austrian biotech startup work-
EXECUTIVE P
ing to produce microbial dyes from natural occurring
microorganisms for textile applications across the tex-
tile and fashion industry. Their aim is to create a com-
petitive and more sustainable alternative to traditional
synthetic dyes and pigments. With circularity in mind,
Vienna Textile Lab enables their customers to create
more sustainable products that are less toxic while sup-
porting biodiversity and zero waste, as they shift to-
wards improving production practices. Vienna Textile Lab
is funded by Austria Wirtschaftsservice (AWS). VTL Colour, derived from bacteria, is a 100% natu-
raised a total of EUR 750K in funding over 1 round. This ral biological product.
was a Seed round raised on Jun 23, 2022.
Colour, derived from bacteria, is a 100% natural biologi-
cal product. During production, no valuable raw materi-
als, for example, crude oil is needed, as it is usual in
the production of synthetic colours. No farmland or
greenhouses are required to grow the colour suppliers,
the occurrence of bacteria is independent of the sea-
sons and weather conditions or geographical location.
No fertilizers are needed. This represents a clear ad-
vantage over the production of other vegetable and plant
dyes. Suitable bacterial strains are stored in laborato-
ries and can be reproduced and multiplied as required. There are about 30 different types of kelp –
These are just some of the gigantic benefits of bacte- that we know of so far.
rial colour for our climate, environment and health.
New natural dye resources on the rise: algae, fungi
and bacteria
Natural dye resources are generally associated with
plants, flowers, fruits, some people might think even
beyond that. Latest developments in biotech research,
however, add algae, fungi and bacteria to the list of
resources for natural, biodegradable pigments. necessary to re-discover connection between the
abundance of colourants in nature and our ways
By dyeing textiles with pigmented bacteria we are look-
of using them in an innovative way.
ing for a sustainable alternative to petroleum based tex-
tile dyes as well as to create a new natural aesthetic. We need to keep following Nature as the main
Our main goal is to advocate for change by creating leader, and see microorganisms as versatile and
awareness and motivating both industry and consum- diverse as they are- we are all surrounded by
ers to make well-informed, conscious choices. We need them aid in making our bread, cheese, wine…and
time to re-design dyeing processes. Slowing down is colour!

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