Bezos Earth Fund Awards $34 Million for New Textile Materials Research

The Bezos Earth Fund announced $34 million in grants in late April to support research on alternative textile fibers. The grants target four separate projects at universities and industry groups. Columbia University and the Fashion Institute of Technology will share $11.5 million to grow fiber from bacteria that consume agricultural waste.

UC Berkeley received $10 million to develop a biodegradable fiber modeled on spider silk. Clemson University was awarded $11 million to gene-edit cotton for built-in color and performance traits. The Cotton Foundation obtained $1.5 million to maintain a non-GMO cotton seedbank.

The fund stated that materials and manufacturing represent roughly 80 percent of fashion's environmental footprint, including emissions, water use, pollution, and landfill waste. Officials said addressing fiber production could reduce waste before garments are manufactured.

Lauren Sánchez Bezos, vice chair of the fund, said in a statement that the projects involve growing fiber from bacteria, engineering colored cotton, and creating silk-like fibers from compost. She described the work as the future of fashion.

The grant announcement occurred days before the 2026 Met Gala, where the couple served as lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs. Activists protested outside the event, citing allegations of worker exploitation at Amazon. The activist group Everyone Hates Elon displayed posters around New York, and a worker-led counter-event took place.

A protester told the Daily Mail that the grants appeared aimed at image management. Sánchez Bezos posted an Instagram video days later naming mushrooms, pineapple leaves, cactus, bacteria, and fishing nets as possible sustainable materials. Some comments questioned whether the materials would be used in high-end garments or offset emissions from private travel.