According to Swansea University in Wales, doctoral student Alex Harold created a protein coating made from a common soil bacterium that has a hydrophobic cell barrier. 

"We wanted to try a coating that wasn't just inspired by nature but utilized biological components to provide a solution to an industrial problem.  The cell surface of Streptomyces sp., a common soil bacteria, is not only hydrophobic, but it protects the organism from desiccation and therefore the movement of water across the cell barrier,” Harold said in a statement. 

According to the university, the coating offers an environmentally friendly alternative to the coatings currently used without any loss in performance.