We were excited to click the MIT Technology Review article on new biotech clothes — will they remodel themselves to fit our frame? Will they stay dry with water-resistant fibers? Well, it turns out biotech clothes are already here, and we’re already wearing them:
Of course, cotton is still by far the most popular natural fiber. But chances are even the T-shirt you’re wearing is made at least partly from genetically engineered crops. That’s because 52 percent of cotton grown last year was genetically engineered with a bacteria gene to resist bugs without the need for pesticides, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Now, with more apparel manufacturers turning to Ingeo, more clothes on the rack will have gotten their start in a gene lab. Nearly half the nation’s corn crops are genetically engineered to withstand sprayings of a popular weed killer…
Fancy garments are still on the drawing board, including:
There are even plans to develop for the U.S. market corn-based, disposable diapers that biodegrade quickly rather than filling landfills for decades. An Ingeo diaper is already being sold in Italy and Spain, but making an inexpensive diaper to compete with disposable products in the United States remains a hurdle.
More from Ingeo, who describe their GM crops as “annually renewable resources” …