The Bezos Earth Fund has announced $34 million in new grants to accelerate the development of breakthrough textiles, targeting a massive overhaul of the fashion industry’s environmental footprint. The funding will support American scientists and researchers working on “next-generation” materials designed to replicate the feel of silk, leather, and cotton while eliminating the need for plastic-based synthetics.
The initiative focuses on the raw materials of the industry, which are estimated to account for roughly 80% of fashion’s total environmental impact, including greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and landfill waste.
“The science happening right now is incredible,” said Lauren Sánchez Bezos, Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund. “These teams are growing fiber from bacteria, engineering cotton that comes out of the ground in color and creating silk-like fibers from compost. That’s the future of fashion.”
The $34 million will be distributed across four primary projects aimed at high-performance, regenerative solutions:
- Columbia University ($11.5 million): Partnering with the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), researchers will develop a high-quality textile grown by bacteria fed on agricultural waste. The resulting fiber is biodegradable and aims to eliminate microplastic proliferation.
- University of California, Berkeley ($10 million): Working with Stanford and Caltech, this team will produce a biodegradable fiber inspired by the strength of spider silk, without using spiders or plastics.
- Clemson University ($11 million): In collaboration with the University of Georgia, scientists will use gene editing and synthetic biology to grow cotton varieties that possess built-in colour and enhanced resilience, moving dyeing and performance “upstream” into the plant’s biology.
- The Cotton Foundation ($1.5 million): Funding will restore the world’s most diverse, non-GMO cotton seedbank to ensure scientists and farmers have access to genetic resources for future sustainable varieties.
The Bezos Earth Fund aims to bridge the gap between laboratory breakthroughs and commercial viability. By investing in engineering, the fund seeks to drive material performance up and the “green premium” price point down, making sustainable clothing choices easier for retailers and consumers alike.
“We believe sustainable fashion is part of our mission by making sustainable clothing choices easy, widely available, and ultimately better for the planet and for people,” said Tom Taylor, CEO and President of the Bezos Earth Fund.
The new grants build upon the fund’s previous entry into the sector, including the $6.25 million “Next Thread Initiative” launched in 2025 with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).
Dr Christopher Saski of Clemson University noted that the funding allows researchers to “flip the traditional model” used for over a century. Similarly, Helen Lu of Columbia University remarked that the support enables the team to “reverse-engineer nature’s best designs” to create regenerative fibers that are healthy for the planet.
