Material Collection

Biofabricated Materials

The emerging class of biofabricated materials harnesses biological organisms to design and grow exciting products. The fermentation, culturing, and engineering of yeast, bacteria, fungi, algae, and mammalian cells lends living materials new functional and aesthetic properties.

Below are a few examples of Biofabricated products that meet our rigorous evaluation. For further help, scroll down to "Spec Guidance”.

Biofabricated Materials

7 products
How to Use This List

About Our Collections

The goal of our collections is to help promote transparency in the material ingredients of building products by fostering knowledge and awareness of products and materials for which life-cycle information is available, and that have environmentally, economically, and socially preferable life-cycle impacts.

Keep an eye out for the following symbols:
A Healthier Affordable Building Product

Products with the designation of "Healthier & Affordable" were specified and installed in at least one of our Case Studies of healthier affordable housing.

Available at the Donghia healthier Materials Library

The Donghia healthier Materials Library library is open to Parsons student and faculty. Learn more about access and opening hours here.

Low Embodied Carbon

“Embodied Carbon” is the total amount of carbon emitted during the process of making a material. *HML refers to a manufacturer's EPD to determine whether a product's A1-A3 carbon emissions falls within HML's threshold for Low Embodied Carbon.

New Product

This product has been added to the collection within the past six months.

Product in Development

Products with this designation identify they are currently scaling or only available in markets outside of the building industry. they could be experimental or in use in capsule collections.

Available in the EU

Products with this designation are currently available only in the European Union and identified as being an exemplary healthy option in the respective product group.

Ingredient Disclosures

There are several ways of evaluating a material’s health that we include with product information. Disclosures are reports by manufacturers about product ingredients, impacts, or other attributes.

Key Disclosures include:
Health Product Declaration (HPD)

A voluntary technical specification for reporting information on product contents and associated health information, intended to be the health-analogue to Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).

Declare Label

Declare is a transparency platform and product database that answers three questions:
1. Where does a product come from?
2. What is it made of?
3. Where does it go at the end of its life?

Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)

A standardized format for communicating the environmental effects associated with a product’s raw materials extraction, energy use, chemical makeup, waste generation, and emissions to air, soil, and water.

Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

A reporting format that provides basic information about a material’s chemical ingredients, the potential safety hazards to installers, and recommended practices for installation.

USDA Certified Biobased Product Label

Managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the goal of the BioPreferred Program is to increase the purchase and use of biobased products.

Other
Learn More
Category Sub-category Manufacturer Product Ingredient Disclosures

MycoComposite

Available At the Donghia Materials Library

Ecovative uses mycelium as a binder for regionally sourced non-food agricultural waste to make a bio-based alternative to plastic foam packaging and insulation materials. MycoComposite is biodegradable, naturally flame resistant, and water resistant. Ecovative licenses this material to various partners such as Mushroom Packaging, Magic Mushrooms, Grown.bio, Bio Fab, and Grow.bio to create packaging, insulation, furniture pieces and kits.


Category
Packaging, Mycelium
Manufacturer
Ecovative
Product Website

Material composition*

Mycelium (binder), hemp (substrate), flour (nutrition)

*as reported by the manufacturer

CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
USDA Certified Biobased Product Label
Other
Cradle to Cradle | Platinum icon-pdf Created with Sketch.
Last Updated

February 27, 2023

Download data sheet icon-pdf Created with Sketch.

bioMASON

Used in Healthier Affordable Housing
Available At the Donghia Materials Library

bioMASON grows tiles using technology similar to hydroponics - units mixed with microorganism are fed an aqueous solution to harden the tiles to specification. bioMASON’s process eliminates the need for firing by replacing the curing/hardening process with biologically controlled structural cement.


Category
Pourables and Aggregates, Concrete
Manufacturer
bioMASON
Product Website

Material composition*

Sand, Sporosarcina pasteurii (bacteria)

*as reported by the manufacturer

CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD) icon-pdf Created with Sketch.
Declare Label icon-pdf Created with Sketch.
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
USDA Certified Biobased Product Label
Other
Last Updated

February 12, 2024

Download data sheet icon-pdf Created with Sketch.

Reishi™

Reishi™ is a leather grown through a proprietary Fine Mycelium™ process. This leather is grown rapidly from engineered mycelium and agricultural by-products and is strong, flexible, and durable, just like conventional leathers. It is also water-resistant and uses chrome-free tanning and dyeing processes. Reishi™ can be embedded with a cotton or recycled polyester fabric (where the mycelium binds to the backing) or be grown as 100% mycelium depending on the application. Mycoworks uses fungi indigenous to their manufacturing locations.


Category
Textile, Mycelium
Manufacturer
Mycoworks
Product Website

Material composition*

mycelium, sawdust, agricultural by-products

*as reported by the manufacturer

CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
USDA Certified Biobased Product Label
Other
Last Updated

February 09, 2024

Download data sheet icon-pdf Created with Sketch.

Microsilk

Available At the Donghia Materials Library

Bolt Threads' Engineered Silk is biofabricated by mimicking the DNA in Spider Silk. They develop proteins inspired by the DNA (no spiders are actually involved) and put them inside of yeast.

The yeast produce silk protein in a liquid form during fermentation—very much like the beer-making process. After some processing, the liquid silk protein can be turned into fiber through wet-spinning, which is the same way fibers like acrylic and rayon are made.


Category
Textile, Yeast
Manufacturer
Bolt Threads
Product Website

Material composition*

Sugar, Water, Salts, Yeast

*as reported by the manufacturer

AVAILABLE SIZING

N/A

CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
USDA Certified Biobased Product Label
Other
Last Updated

September 18, 2019

Download data sheet icon-pdf Created with Sketch.

BioConcrete

Available At the Donghia Materials Library

BioConcrete is a self-healing concrete product made of biodegradable plastic capsules of calcium lactate and bacteria added to a wet concrete mix. When activated by water, the capsules expand and fill any cracks that exist in the concrete.


Category
Pourables and Aggregates, Concrete
Manufacturer
Dr. Henk Jonkers

Material composition*

Concrete, calcium lactate, bacillus bacteria, biodegradable plastic

*as reported by the manufacturer

AVAILABLE SIZING

N/A

CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
USDA Certified Biobased Product Label
Other
Last Updated

July 11, 2023

Download data sheet icon-pdf Created with Sketch.

BioMineralized Concrete

BioMineralized Concrete uses bacteria to bind a sand aggregate. The technology allows for the sand, or any other small, rough aggregate, to be used to make a solid material. Because it hardens at room temperature, it saves the energy that typically goes into baking bricks. BioMineralized Concrete can be used as a concrete substitute. However, it has 2/3 the strength of traditional concrete, so it needs to be reinforced by adding fiber or metal, or through pressurization during casting.


Category
Pourables and Aggregates, Concrete
Manufacturer
Damian Palin

Material composition*

Sand, Calcium Chloride, Urea, Bacteria

*as reported by the manufacturer

AVAILABLE SIZING

N/A

CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
USDA Certified Biobased Product Label
Other
Last Updated

December 04, 2019

Download data sheet icon-pdf Created with Sketch.

GrowSquares

Available At the Donghia Materials Library

GrowSquares operates under a simple philosophy: don’t put anything in your garden you wouldn’t put in your body. This ethos resonates throughout their products and ensures every item they deliver is made up entirely of 100% organic materials, all specifically designed to improve the growth of their plants. Simply place your squares on your selected location and follow the app’s personalized instructions as it guides you through the gardening process.

The mushroom-based scaffold is not only engineered to decompose, but it's biodegradation enriches both plants and soil by stimulating the development of microorganisms and improving soil moisture retention. The more you use GrowSquares, the better your soil becomes, as it allows for a greater variety of plants with each use.


Category
Garden Planter, Mycelium
Manufacturer
GrowSquares
Product Website

Material composition*

Mycelium:
Hemp
Mushroom Spawn
Flour

Soil Additives:
Kelp
Langbeinite
Green Sand
Feather
Biochar

Cellulose Lid:
Recycled Paper
Llama Manure
Biobased Starch

*as reported by the manufacturer

AVAILABLE SIZING

12" x 12" x 2"

CERTIFICATIONS & DISCLOSURES
Health Product Declaration (HPD)
Declare Label
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
USDA Certified Biobased Product Label
Other
Last Updated

September 18, 2019

Download data sheet icon-pdf Created with Sketch.

The products in this collection have all been evaluated holistically for their contents and performance. To be considered, the product must also utilize natural cells (i.e. yeast, bacteria, fungi) in its manufacture or use and avoid additives harmful to human and planet.

Spec Guidance

Inquire with manufacturers for transparency and LCA information as much as possible. Materials new to the market may not yet have certifications and disclosures and often are made proprietarily.

Investigate energy used in the manufacturing processes. Opt for renewable and low-energy processes if possible.

Opt for feedstocks which come from a local waste stream. Avoid feedstocks which repurpose land from food production.

Opt for materials grown locally with native species.

Biofabricated materials are grown with living organisms. Consider organism well-being and growth conditions.

Updated February 27, 2018
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