MycaNova

Roots of fungi: new raw material for circular products

Citribel in Tienen is one of the largest producers of citric acid in the world. During the production of their citric acid, mycelium, the root structure of fungi, is formed. They dry and grind part of that mycelium into powder. With binders and backing materials, they turn it into MycaNova, a 100% natural and circular product that serves as a raw material for a wide variety of products.

Tailor-made for the customer

Sylvia Gilis, Director of Citribel and General Manager of MycaNova: "Together with the customers, we choose which backing material to use to make the MycaNova they need: organic cotton, microfibre, linen ... We ensure that the variant they request meets the industry standards of their product. Whether that be uppers for shoes, furniture or leather goods. A warm, leather-like look, visible grains, a smooth surface, an exotic design: we design the MycaNova the way they ask."

Strong and high-quality

"In summary, with MycaNova, our customers choose a durable material with huge design possibilities that also performs strongly. Our team helps them find the right combination of quality, design and durability. If necessary, we make several A4 samples so that the look, texture and feel are right before going into production. And if they want to carry out performance tests first, make prototypes or produce a capsule collection with only a few pieces, we supply the right amount of MycaNova. In this way, we avoid unnecessary waste together."

Full transparency on sustainability

"Because we use the existing industrial processes of the synthetic leather industry, no new machines or factories are needed to make MycaNova. So we produce it with minimum CO2 and also avoid the CO2 emitted during the construction of a new production line. We are also very open about the sustainability of MycaNova: every customer gets all the sustainability information - e.g. composition and CO2 emissions - that we have about his variant," Sylvia Gilis concludes.