Episode 7
6. Waste is the New Gold: How Polybion Grows Luxury Biomaterials Part 1
Polybion is a company that produces nano cellulose, a biomaterial made by bacteria, for use in textiles and other industries. The company has built the first manufacturing plant for bacterial scale in the world for textile applications and is working on scaling production to meet the demand for…
Show notes
Episode Description:
Polybion is a company that produces nano cellulose, a biomaterial made by bacteria, for use in textiles and other industries. The company has built the first manufacturing plant for bacterial scale in the world for textile applications and is working on scaling production to meet the demand for millions of square feet of the material per year. Polybion is targeting brands that are interested in using the material as an alternative to leather and plastic, and is focused on making its facility a zero-waste operation that runs on solar power and reuses water. According to co-founder Axel Gómez-Ortigoza, biomaterials will start being used commercially in specific industries within the next 3-5 years and will see widespread adoption in the next 10 years. After 30 years, he predicts that biomaterials will become the standard, with more than 80% market share across different industries. He also believes that biotechnology will be used to create ultra-local, self-sustaining systems in cities of the future, which will be necessary for colonizing other planets like Mars.
ON THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:
00:00:00 Lack Of Understanding Of DNA: A Potential Danger
00:00:30 Opening Remarks from Karl and Erum
00:06:29 Exploring Nano Cellulose Production For Textile Applications
00:12:17 Creating A Meta Material For Sustainable End Of Life Cycle: A Palette Of Possibilities
00:15:59 The Impact Of Leather And Meat Production On The Environment
00:22:07 Recruiting Scientists And Engineers For Reinvention
00:25:33 Challenges Of DNA Understanding In The Biotech Industry
00:29:59 The Interconnectedness Of Macro And Micro Cosmoses
00:34:21 Closing Thoughts with Karl and Erum
Grow Everything brings to life the bioeconomy when hosts karl schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories from the field and interview leaders and influencers in the space. Life is a powerful force and it can be engineered. What are we creating?
Learn more at www.messaginglab.com/groweverything
Topics: bioeconomy, biomanufacturing, Biotechnology, synthetic biology, entrepreneurship, biomaterials, leather, leather industry, sustainability, circular economy, waste management, climate technology, startup, scalability, capitalism 2.0, microcosmos
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About Grow Everything
Grow Everything reveals the world of biology as technology. Hosts Erum Azeez Khan and Karl Schmieder talk with the founders, scientists, and executives biologizing entire industries — biomaterials from waste, precision fermentation, cultivated food — and unpack how the bioeconomy is solving health and climate challenges. Winner of SynBioBeta's 2026 Impact Award.