There is an annually increasing volume of published studies describing chitosan-based materials due to its large accessibility and sustainability. The implementation of stimuli responsive materials (e.g. azobenzenes) in macromolecules is widely recognized as a promising route toward the design of interactive materials. However, so far all interactive materials are derived from synthetic macromolecules. Here, we present the procedure of creating a light-responsive bulk material that can reversibly modulate the stiffness and hardness. After UV-A exposure, a 10% increase in reduced modulus and hardness could be determined by indentation.