Biology Scales, Spandex Shifts and the Machinery Catch Up

Material World is a weekly roundup of innovations and ideas within the materials sector, covering what’s changing in how fashion is made, scaled or engineered from emerging biomaterials and alternative leathers to sustainable substitutes and future-proof fibers.

Cauldron Ferm

Australian biomanufacturing company Cauldron Ferm announced a $13.25 million Series A2 funding round and recognition on Fast Company’s 2026 list of most innovative companies.

“For biomanufacturing to compete in industrial sectors, bioproducts have to deliver on costs, scale and quality,” said Michele Stansfield, co-founder and CEO of Cauldron. “Bioprocess innovation is how we get there.”

The company provides continuous “hyper-fermentation” biomanufacturing technology, a scalable, long-term production system designed to maintain microbes in a highly productive, steady state for extended periods.

It’s designed to lower costs and enable industrial-scale production for sectors in need of food, feed and fiber, according to the New South Wales-based startup, which claims to lower net unit costs by up to 50 percent. Cauldron’s platform focuses on scaling up precision fermentation for high-volume markets, specifically targeting dairy and animal proteins as well as specialty chemicals. 

Australian industry superannuation fund NGS Super said it backed Cauldron to bolster advanced biomanufacturing—what the firm’s chief investment officer Ben Squires called a “powerful, secular trend” reshaping how critical inputs are made. That’s because, he continued, Cauldron platform focuses on the sector’s core constraint: Improving productivity and unit economics at industrial scale.

“That combination of technology differentiation and real-world commercial validation is why we decided to invest,” Squires said.

Deep technology venture capital firm Main Sequence Ventures, another Australian-based business, echoed the sentiment. One of its partners, Phil Morle, pointed to how hyper-fermentation can close the gap between breakthrough strains and reliable, cost-competitive production.

“Cauldron is proving that biology can run continuously, predictably, and at the volumes global supply chains demand,” Morle said. “In a market distracted by AI hype cycles, we’re backing the hard, physical work of scaling biology; that’s what builds enduring companies.”

On the topic of industry and investor support, Stansfield said the “milestone reflects the impact of our platform at a time when governments and corporations are urgently seeking competitive biobased solutions to address supply chain pressure.”

Hyosung TNC

Hyosung is sweetening its Regen Bio Spandex.

The world’s largest spandex manufacturer has committed $1 billion to what it described as a fully integrated biobased production system—spanning sugarcane feedstock through to Bio-BDO, Bio-PTMG, and, ultimately, biobased spandex.

Hyosung’s Regen Bio Spandex is designed to match the performance of conventional elastics—stretch, recovery, durability—while reducing carbon impact, a balance the South Korean subsidiary said has historically forced trade-offs.

Sugarcane, in this context, isn’t a sustainability strategy on its own, Hyosung explained; it’s about the crop’s potential for scale. It’s already integrated into established agricultural systems, which could provide more consistent volumes than experimental feedstocks with fragmented supply chains.

“At a moment when the industry is moving from commitments to action, Hyosung TNC offers something beyond a material,” said Sora Yoo, vice president of marketing. “A scalable system designed to make biobased the new baseline, not the exception.”

Rheon Labs x Kiprun (Decathlon)

Rheon Labs’ performance materials are getting more responsive—and more targeted.

The London-based materials technology company has launched its second product with Decathlon’s Kiprun brand, embedding its energy-absorbing polymer into running shorts designed to reduce muscle vibration during high-intensity activity.

The men’s Run 900 Ultra Black Shorts feature integrated Rheon technology, a reactive polymer that remains soft at rest but stiffens under pressure. According to lab testing, it reduces quadriceps vibration by 8.7 percent. Unlike traditional compression, which applies constant pressure—whether it’s needed or not—Rheon activates only during impact (movement or strain) and then returns to a flexible state.

The broader ambition is to remove trade-offs between comfort and performance, extending the material’s use across applications from sportswear to protective gear.

Interspare

Interspare is focusing less on new machinery and more on updating what’s already in place.

The textile finishing equipment manufacturer said it will present a series of upgrades and retrofit solutions at Techtextil 2026, centered on improving efficiency, process stability and compliance across existing installations.

To that end, Interspare’s Krantz K30 stenter is designed to handle complex materials, maintain consistent drying and reduce energy use.

“Technical textiles are becoming more demanding in terms of both materials and processing,” said managing director Dirk Polchow, pointing to the growing use of natural fibers alongside chemically treated finishes for performance applications.

Rather than replacing entire systems, Interspare is emphasizing modular upgrades—what it refers to as expansion, modernization and upgrading, or EMU—targeting control systems, automation and energy use. In practice, that can mean swapping out legacy controllers, updating drive technology or adjusting heating systems depending on plant configuration.

“EMU measures are economically viable in many cases,” Polchow said. “Rising energy costs and improved machine availability significantly reduce payback periods.”