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AMSilkAMSilk is an industrial supplier of synthetic silk biopolymers.[1] The polymers are biocompatible and breathable.[2] The company was founded in 2008 and has its headquarters at Campus Neuried in Munich.[3] AMSilk is an industrial biotechnology company with a proprietary production process for their silk materials.[4] AMSilk produces a lightweight material trademarked as Biosteel,[5] created from recombinant spider silk, which was used by Adidas to create a biodegradable running shoe.[6] Jens Klein, former CEO of AMSilk, said during an interview that the biodegradable material can help reduce the amount of waste that has to be burned or pollutes the environment.[7] AMSilk is also developing breast implants made of biodegradable spider silk in collaboration with the German company Polytech.[8] HistoryAMSilk was founded in 2008 by Lin Römer and Professor Thomas Scheibel in Planegg, Germany, with the aim of becoming the world's first industrial supplier[9] of synthetic silk biopolymers.[10] In 2011, the company partnered with the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research (IAP) to develop a new spin process for the AMSilk spider silk proteins.[11] In 2015, AMSilk began producing Biosteel® Fibre made from 100% silk proteins based on natural spider silk.[12] Then, in November 2016, the company used its Biosteel® Fibre to collaborate with Adidas[13] to create the ‘Futurecraft Biofabric’ shoe prototype.[14] The Biosteel® Yarn fibre-based shoe is 100% biodegradable and is designed to replicate spider silk.[15] In April 2017, AMSilk announced its partnership with Gruschwitz Textilwerke.[16] In 2019, Swiss cosmetics manufacturer Givaudan acquired the cosmetics arm of AMSilk to expand the use of spider silk technology in cosmetic products.[17] In May 2021, the company secured a EUR 29 Million Series C fundraising.[9] In April 2023 AMSilk raised an additional €25 million to accelerate industrial scale-up and expand commercial operations.[18] In February 2023, Evonik Industries signed a contract with AMSilk to supply industrial quantities of protein products made from the fermentation of renewable raw materials.[19] In 2023, AMSilk partnered with Brain Biotech, a company that develops and manufactures bio-based products for industry, to develop bio-based protein fibres for the textile industry.[20] Founding and Development AMSilk has developed a range of vegan silk biopolymers designed for application in various medical devices, focusing on enhancing the bio-compatibility of medical implants.[21] In 2017, AMSilk was named one of the 50 most innovative companies in the world by the German edition of MIT Technology Review.[22] In 2018, AMSilk signed a deal with Airbus to develop a spider silk-based material for lightweight, high-performance planes.[23] The collaboration aimed to launch the first prototype composite material in 2019.[24] Within the same year, the company partnered with Polytech Health & Aesthetics, the leading manufacturer of silicone implants, to begin a clinical trial of silk-coated implants on a handful of patients in Austria.[25] HeadquartersAMSilk is currently located at Campus Neuried in Munich, Germany, after relocating in October 2022.[3] Products and servicesAMSilk partnered with Swiss watchmaker Omega SA in 2019 to make the Nato watch strap, which blends polyamide and Biosteel.[26] In January 2022, Mercedes-Benz partnered with AMSilk to develop sustainable door pulls using Biosteel fibre on its VISION EQXX[27] concept electric car.[28] Since announcing its partnership with Airbus in 2018,[24] AMSilk has worked on developing silk-reinforced polymers as a substitute for Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs).[29] Environmental impactAMSilk has worked with fashion brands to create sustainable alternatives using Biosteel® Fiber, a biosynthetic silk made by adding silk genes into bacteria through biofermentation. This material has been used in collaboration with Omega and Adidas for a watch strap and the "Futurecraft" shoe.[30] AMSilk's Biosteel® Fiber, used in these collaborations is notable for its biodegradability, breaking down in seawater and on land within a few months.[31] Utilizing a bio-fabrication process that reprograms microorganisms based on spider DNA, the company produces this silk-like material at scale using bacteria and natural fermentation.[30] In November 2022, AMSilk participated as one of 100 renowned companies in the VISION 2045 Summit held alongside the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).[32] References
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