Cell-cultivated cotton for clothes and more

This fermentation process produces raw cotton in the lab, saving resources and reducing pollution

Spotted: Cotton is the world’s most widespread, non-food farmed crop, used in the production of half of all textiles. Yet cotton also comes at a high environmental cost, consuming huge amounts of pesticides and water, with one cotton T-shirt requiring around 2,700 litres of water for its production.

One way to address these concerns is to grow cotton in the lab. This is the approach taken by startup Galy, which is growing cotton from cells instead of plants. To make its cotton, Galy collects cell samples from a plant and grows them in a fermentation process similar to beer brewing. The final product is harvested, dried, and spun into fibres.

The resulting cotton is grown more quickly and cheaply, and is of a higher quality than natural cotton, as well as having a drastically lower environmental impact. If Galy’s system is scaled successfully, it will also allow manufacturers to procure raw cotton without concern for delays and cost changes related to weather and environmental conditions.

Last year, Galy entered into a 10-year, $50 million partnership with Suzuran Medical Inc., which will see Suzuran use Galy’s lab-grown cotton products such as cosmetic cotton, gauze, and cotton sheets. Zara owner Inditex also bought a stake in the company in July 2024 to support its broader sustainability strategy.

Written By: Lisa Magloff