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I was wondering whether it is possible to produce vegan silk, that can be obtained without having to kill a cocoon in its nest.

Is it possible to produce vegan slaughter free silk using the methods of biological engineering and stem cell research, and, if so, what companies are doing so, who are these companies, how are they doing, and where can I purchase slaughter free silk?

Robert Longson
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Joselin Jocklingson
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    See https://vegetarianism.stackexchange.com/questions/594/is-it-possible-to-make-silk-without-killing-the-creatures-that-produce-it - it is not necessary to kill the silkworms - one can just wait for them to emerge from their cocoons and then collect the discarded cocoons. The resulting silk is extra soft and extra expensive. I have also seen textiles made of spider silk (collected without any spider-killing) in an art exhibition. And of course there are already widely used cheap synthetic fibres made to have an appearance and texture similar to silk thread. – Zanna Oct 08 '23 at 17:52
  • Thank you. Can you cite the names of some synthetic fibres made to have an appearance and texture similar to silk thread, as well as the ones from vegan cocoon and spider thread? Thanks. – Joselin Jocklingson Oct 20 '23 at 21:32
  • In India I have seen the silk made by harvesting the silk after the cocoons are discarded called 'peace silk' and 'ahimsa silk'. One type of Indian peace silk is called 'eri silk' - made by a different type of moth than mulberry silk. Spider silk textiles (too rare for commercial use!) are made by the golden orb weaver spider. Artificial silk may be called 'art silk' 'rayon' 'viscose' etc. – Zanna Oct 25 '23 at 10:55
  • Mercerized cotton is popular in India as a sort of silk substitute - mercerization is an alkali treatment for cotton that increases the dye affinity and shininess of the fibre so that it looks brighter and the process even increases the tensile strength (another property of silk) – Zanna Oct 25 '23 at 10:55

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