The Bezos Earth Fund has announced $34m grants for sustainable textiles. The grants will aid projects at universities and research groups in the US aimed at reducing the environmental impact of clothing production by developing alternatives to traditional rayon, silk, and cotton. Columbia University will receive $11.5m to create textile fibres grown from bacteria fed on agricultural waste. The University of California, Berkeley has received $10m for work on a biodegradable fibre, inspired by spider silk. Clemson University will get $11m to engineer new cotton varieties through gene editing and synthetic biology, in collaboration with the University of Georgia. In addition, the Cotton Foundation will receive an additional $1.5 million to restore a publicly accessible, non-GMO cotton seed bank for farmers and scientists worldwide. The funds aim to address primary sources of environmental pressure in the apparel industry such as emissions, water use, and waste from material sourcing and manufacturing processes.