Isikhumba samakhowe silethe inzuzo enhle impela. Indwangu esuselwe kumakhowe isiqalile ngokusemthethweni ngama-big names afana ne-Adidas, i-Lululemon, i-Stella McCarthy kanye ne-Tommy Hilfiger ezikhwameni zezandla, ama-sneakers, ama-yoga mat, ngisho namabhulukwe enziwe ngesikhumba samakhowe.
Ngokusho kwedatha yakamuva evela ku-Grand View Research, imakethe yemfashini yama-vegan yayibiza u-$396.3 billion ngo-2019 futhi kulindeleke ukuthi ikhule ngesilinganiso sonyaka esingu-14%.
Isikhumba samakhowe sakamuva esisetshenziswe yiMercedes-Benz. I-VISION EQXX yayo iyimodeli entsha yemoto kagesi esezingeni eliphezulu enesikhumba samakhowe ngaphakathi.
UGorden Wagener, isikhulu esiphezulu sokuklama seMercedes-Benz, uchaze ukusebenzisa kwale nkampani yezimoto isikhumba se-vegan “njengokuhlangenwe nakho okuvuselelayo” okulahla imikhiqizo yezilwane ngenkathi inikeza ukubukeka okunobukhazikhazi.
“Zikhomba indlela eya phambili yokuklama okunethezekile okusebenzisa kahle izinsiza,” kusho uWagner. Ikhwalithi yayo iphinde yathola amamaki aphezulu kubaholi bemboni.
Indlela izikhumba zamakhowe ezenziwe ngayo inobungani nemvelo ngokwayo. Yenziwe ngempande yekhowe ebizwa ngokuthi i-mycelium. I-mycelium ayivuthwa nje kuphela emavikini ambalwa, kodwa futhi idla amandla amancane kakhulu njengoba ingadingi ukukhanya kwelanga noma ukudla.
Ukuze ikwazi ukwenza isikhumba samakhowe, i-mycelium ikhula ezintweni eziphilayo ezifana ne-sawdust, ngezinqubo zemvelo zebhayoloji, ukuze yakhe iphedi elijiyile elibukeka futhi lizwakale njengesikhumba.
Isikhumba samakhowe sesivele sithandwa eBrazil. Ngokusho kocwaningo lwakamuva olwenziwe yi-stand.earth, izinhlobo zemfashini ezingaphezu kwe-100 ezinkulu zingabathengisi bemikhiqizo yesikhumba yaseBrazil evela emapulazini ezinkomo abelokhu ehlanza ihlathi lemvula lase-Amazon iminyaka engamashumi amabili.
USonia Guajajara, umxhumanisi omkhulu we-Federation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), uthe imikhiqizo ye-vegan efana nesikhumba samakhowe isusa isici sezombusazwe esivuna abafuyi bezilwane ukuze bavikele amahlathi. “Imboni yemfashini ethenga le mikhiqizo manje isingakhetha uhlangothi olungcono,” kusho yena.
Eminyakeni emihlanu selokhu yasungulwa, imboni yesikhumba samakhowe idonsele abatshalizimali abakhulu kanye nabanye abaklami bemfashini abadumile.
Ngonyaka odlule, uPatrick Thomas, owayeyi-CEO yeHermes International, eyaziwa emhlabeni wonke ngokugxila kwayo esikhumbeni sobukhazikhazi, kanye no-Ian Bickley, umongameli wenkampani yemfashini uCoach, bobabili bajoyine iMycoworks, omunye wabakhiqizi ababili base-US besikhumba samakhowe. Le nkampani eseCalifornia isanda kuthola uxhaso lwemali oluyizigidi eziyi-125 zamaRandi ezinkampanini zokutshalwa kwezimali zomhlaba wonke, okuhlanganisa nePrime Movers Lab, eyaziwa ngokuxhasa ngezimali ukuthuthukiswa okukhulu kwezobuchwepheshe.
“Ithuba likhulu kakhulu, futhi sikholelwa ukuthi ikhwalithi yomkhiqizo engenakuqhathaniswa ehlanganiswe nenqubo yokukhiqiza eyimfihlo nengandiswayo igcina iMycoWorks ikulungele ukuba umgogodla wenguquko yezinto ezintsha,” kusho uDavid Siminoff, umlingani jikelele wale nkampani, esitatimendeni.
I-Mycoworks isebenzisa imali ukwakha isikhungo esisha e-Union County, eSouth Carolina, lapho ihlela khona ukukhulisa izigidi zamafidi-skwele esikhumba samakhowe.
I-Bolt Threads, omunye umenzi wesikhumba samakhowe wase-US, yakhe umbimbi lwezinkampani ezinkulu zezingubo ukukhiqiza imikhiqizo ehlukahlukene yesikhumba samakhowe, okuhlanganisa ne-Adidas, esanda kubambisana nenkampani ukuvuselela isikhumba sayo esidumile ngesikhumba sama-vegan. Siyakwamukela izicathulo zesikhumba zikaStan Smith. Le nkampani isanda kuthenga ipulazi lamakhowe eNetherlands futhi yaqala ukukhiqizwa ngobuningi kwesikhumba samakhowe ngokubambisana nomkhiqizi wesikhumba samakhowe waseYurophu.
I-Fibre2Fashion, inkampani yokulandelela imboni yezemfashini yezindwangu emhlabeni jikelele, isanda kuphetha ngokuthi isikhumba samakhowe singatholakala maduze emikhiqizweni eminingi yabathengi. “Maduze nje, kufanele sibone izikhwama zemfashini, amajakethi amabhayisikili, izithende kanye nezesekeli zesikhumba samakhowe ezitolo emhlabeni jikelele,” kubhala lokho okutholakele.
Isikhathi sokuthunyelwe: Juni-24-2022
