Mycotech, the Indonesian company that grows sustainable material

Doublet, LVMH prize winner and leading streetwear fashion brand from Japan, launched a collection made from Mylea, a mushroom-based material that resembles animal leather. Doublet sourced the material from Mycotech, an Indonesian company that focuses on developing and producing sustainable materials to replace animal leather.

“We understand that the fashion industry highly contributes to global warming, and the leather industry is included,” said Ayya, Mycotech Account Executive. Indeed, leather-making is a highly hazardous process not only for the environment, but also for the people working in the vicinity of the tannery.

However, the leather industry has a prominent presence with a value of $394.12 billion or more than Rp5 quadrillion and is expected to grow. Responding to the endless demand for such unsustainable material, Mycotech came up with mushroom-based leather: Mylea.

The company found its inspiration from the process of making tempe in which a fungus called mycelium binds soybeans into tempe blocks. Mycotech founders then began a series of researches on fungi and learnt that it holds more potentials than just as food products. 

“Mylea is created by first developing the growth medium, made of agroforestry waste,” Ayya explained. They let the fungi sit and grow for a few days until the medium is covered in fungi and mycelium. Then, they harvest the mycelium to be processed into a leather-like material. She also mentioned a post-harvest treatment that is similar to the tanning process in the conventional leather-making process. “The difference is that we do not use any harmful chemicals,” she added.

At the end of the process, the leather-like material is dyed with natural dyes. However, this process is taken only when it is required because Mylea already has a unique natural colour. At this stage, Mylea is ready to be used as a material for any product.

The production process appears to be more efficient than conventional leather-making as the fungi can be grown within two months. In its facility, Mycotech adopts vertical farming that optimises space usage. In addition, the facility is located among mushroom farmers and the company hires local people as well. 

“Sustainability is in our core values,” Ayya stated. Mycotech manages waste by using it as raw materials and actively avoids harmful chemicals. She added that the company measures its social impact via the production capacity and the number of farmers it works with. “Our dream is to collaborate with local farmers to use their local agricultural waste to grow their local materials with our technology locally,” she concluded.

The local fashion industry has started considering more alternative and sustainable materials and Mycotech is witnessing this. To this date, the company has collaborated with several local brands, such as Hijack Sandals to make mushroom-based sandals which are going to be launched in Japan and Pala Nusantara to make smartwatch straps.