Beer yeast leftovers spun into a promising sustainable yarn 50% stronger than wool

Yeast leftovers from breweries have been spun into textile fibres at a cost that could be affordable for clothing. A group in the US has reported that the fermented yeast proteins can be extracted and spun into a fibre stronger than wool.

‘The material is twice the strength and half the price – at the factory scale – of wool,’ says Melik Demirel, who led this research at Penn State.