Industries are reconsidering their material choices as sustainability becomes harder to ignore. The challenge has always been finding alternatives that actually perform under real conditions. AMSilk GmbH, led by CEO Ulrich Scherbel, has built its business around turning natural proteins into materials that work across different applications.
What makes their approach viable is how well these bio-based materials adapt to various demands. They show up in consumer products and industrial settings because they meet the technical standards each requires. The materials are flexible, and they biodegrade naturally when their useful life ends.
AMSilk continues to expand the potential of its materials through research partnerships and practical testing. Each new application demonstrates that bio-based options can compete with traditional materials without compromising performance. For companies aiming to reduce their environmental impact, the technology now makes that shift feasible. As more industries adopt these alternatives, the business case grows stronger. AMSilk’s work shows that sustainability and functionality can coexist in materials that meet real market needs.
Let’s delve into the interview details below!
AMSilk’s materials have potential applications across multiple industries. Which unconventional sectors do you see adopting your bio-based solutions in the next few years?
Our technology can serve ~15 industries. Up to now we have focused on premium textiles and automotive (e.g. European luxury fashion houses, Mercedes-Benz collaboration). Another vertical is home care, where our coatings meet regulatory demands for biodegradability. As production output goes up, prices will go down, which will make spider silk highly attractive for more price sensitive products and markets.
How does AMSilk approach the challenge of designing materials that meet both high-performance standards and versatile functionality?
First of all, performance starts in nature: spider silk is one of nature’s most versatile materials, with extraordinary properties ranging from incredible strength to high elasticity. At AMSilk, we harness these properties by recreating the complex protein in industrial microorganisms through advanced, AI-supported protein design. This enables us to engineer tailored molecules that unlock new applications across multiple industries.
Through precision fermentation, we reliably produce bio-based high-performance materials that match or even surpass natural properties—fully biodegradable and recyclable. This modular approach allows us to finetune characteristics such as elasticity, durability, and biodegradability depending on the specific requirements of each industry.
Could you highlight a collaboration with another company, research institute, or startup that has opened new possibilities for AMSilk’s technology?
One collaboration that has opened new possibilities for AMSilk’s technology is our partnership with 21bio, a Danish biotech company specializing in precision fermentation. By combining AMSilk’s expertise in producing high-performance, sustainable silk proteins with 21bio’s advanced fermentation platforms, we were able to accelerate the scale-up of our materials and explore new application fields.
How is AMSilk leveraging advanced technologies, such as AI, robotics, or bioprocessing innovations, to accelerate materials development?
AMSilk is leveraging advanced technologies across several dimensions to accelerate the development of next-generation materials. Artificial intelligence helps us optimize protein design and predict material properties more efficiently, reducing the time from concept to prototype. In parallel, innovations in bioprocessing—particularly precision fermentation—allow us to scale production sustainably while maintaining the unique performance characteristics of our silk proteins.
By integrating these technologies into our R&D and production processes, we can rapidly iterate, tailor materials for diverse applications, and bring sustainable solutions to market faster.
What role do regulatory frameworks and global standards play in shaping the way AMSilk develops and scales its bio-based materials?
Regulatory frameworks and global standards play a central role in how AMSilk develops and scales its bio-based materials. From the outset, we design our silk proteins to meet stringent safety, quality, and sustainability requirements across multiple industries. Compliance with international standards ensures that our materials can be adopted globally without compromise.
Beyond compliance, these frameworks guide our innovation strategy: they help us anticipate market needs, align with sustainability goals such as biodegradability and reduced carbon footprint, and build trust with partners and customers.
Can you describe a particularly surprising or unexpected application of AMSilk materials that has emerged from your research or partnerships?
One particularly surprising outcome from our research and partnerships has been the discovery that our spider silk protein exhibits exceptional coating properties. In dishwashing applications, these properties enable performance effects that were previously achievable only through conventional chemical ingredients. This opened up an entirely new application area for our material, demonstrating that a bio-based protein can deliver highly effective surface functionality in everyday cleaning solutions.
How does AMSilk measure the impact of its materials on industry sustainability, efficiency, or product innovation beyond just environmental benefits?
At AMSilk, we measure the impact of our materials not only by their environmental footprint but also by how they transform industry performance and innovation.
In addition, we track how our technology supports industry resilience by reducing dependence on fossil-based inputs and aligning with evolving regulatory and consumer expectations. Ultimately, the impact of AMSilk’s materials is measured by their ability to make industries more efficient, more innovative, and more future-ready—while also advancing sustainability.
Looking ahead, which technological or scientific advancements do you anticipate will redefine the possibilities for bio-based materials in the next decade?
Advances in synthetic biology and protein engineering will allow us to design materials with unprecedented precision—tailoring properties at the molecular level to meet highly specific industry needs. Artificial intelligence will accelerate this process by predicting performance outcomes and guiding rapid iteration. At the same time, innovations in bioprocessing and precision fermentation will make it possible to manufacture bio-based materials at an industrial scale with lower costs and greater consistency. In the next decade, bio-based materials will not only replace fossil-based inputs but also unlock functionalities that were previously unimaginable, reshaping industries from personal care to aerospace.
