By SEISAKU YAMAMOTO/ Staff Writer
November 21, 2024 at 18:31 JST
Pharmaceutical giant Kowa Co. said it has created an exceptionally durable and environmentally friendly new textile from the gossamer silk of bagworm moth larvae.
In its Nov. 20 announcement, Kowa said it plans to apply the textile, called Minolon, to sporting goods, automobiles, aircraft and other products.
Kowa jointly developed the textile with the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO), which has expertise in silkworms.
Bagworm silk is said to be even more durable than spider silk.
Kowa and NARO bred several million bagworms, raised them indoors year-round and developed technology to induce the worms to produce silk as desired.
Sporting equipment, such as golf clubs, skis and rackets, use plastic materials containing carbon fibers. By combining these fibers with sheets of bagworm silk, the products become more durable.
A bagworm silk product developed in collaboration with a major sports equipment manufacturer is scheduled to be released as early as next month.
Since the bagworm silk fiber production process doesn’t emit carbon dioxide, Kowa plans to sell the textile as an eco-friendly material to automobile, aircraft and smartphone manufacturers.
The company is considering producing the textile in Komaki, Aichi Prefecture, and investing up to tens of billions of yen.
“Bagworm silk is strong and eco-friendly,” Yoshihiro Miwa, president and CEO of Kowa, said at a news conference on Nov. 20. “This new material can replace other existing textiles and has the potential to change the world.”
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A thread of bagworm silk (Provided by Kowa Co.)
