Bio-based coatings of cellulose fabrics (cotton) have attracted increasing attention for multifunction and sustainability but suffered from poor durability and low efficiency. Here, aldehyde-free and durable coatings for cotton fabrics (CPZ@CF) with satisfactory flame retardancy, antibacteria as well as wearing performance were prepared through the interfacial coordination effect where the well-organized zinc phytate complex were in situ grew on the pre-treated surface of cotton fabrics with chitosan (CS) and Zn2+. The CZP@CF exhibited excellent antibacterial activity for Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) with 99.99 % antibacterial rates benefiting from the synergistic effect between Zn2+ and CS. Reading tip: Bio-based coatingsThe EC Tech Report Bio-based Coatings is a hand-picked compilation of all the key aspects concerning bio-based coatings, offering the latest technical developments. More importantly, the antibacterial rates of CZP@CF for S. aureus and E. coli still reached 99.99 % and 91.67 % after 50 washing cycles.