First of all, Men’s Gear would like to give a big kudos to those companies who are taking the eco-friendly route. Over the years, we are seeing the growth of new products that are reusing recyclable materials. Just like the Bluetooth speaker that features a shell made out of waste plastic bags. On the other hand, Adidas is showcasing two shoes that use plastic from the ocean. It’s an amazing feat to see what we believe to be unusable trash turn into cool modern products. Meanwhile, we have another awesome and sustainable item for you—the Aivan Korvaa headphones.
While other companies are focusing on recycling plastics, Aivan is literally growing their materials inside a lab. Relying on synthetic biology, the team of designers is turning microbes into engineers. With the help of brilliant minds from Aalto University and VTT technical research center, we have this remarkable innovation. Moreover, using nature to help us manufacture consumer products in the future is revolutionary. The Korvaa headphones feature six various microbe-grown materials.
The fungus Trichoderma reesei is responsible for producing hydrophobin, a foaming protein. After mixing it with plant cellulose, it becomes the padding. Next, what follows is a soft leather-like cover for the foam made from mycelium. Interestingly, the headband and other rigid parts of the Aivan Korvaa headphones is a bioplastic using Saccharomyces cerevisiae and lactic acid from baker’s yeast. Finally, all remaining components are likewise lab-grown. Furthermore, advancements in the field synthetic biology can possibly yield all the manufacturing materials we need in the future.
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Images courtesy of Aivan
