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The Untapped Agricultural Waste Project

In February 2022, Fashion for Good started the ‘Untapped Agricultural Waste’ Project to validate and scale technologies capable of transforming agricultural residues into textile fibres. With catalytic funding from Laudes Foundation and collaboration from key industry partners such as adidas, Bestseller, PVH Corp., and Vivobarefoot, the project aims to reduce the negative impacts of burning agricultural waste, lessen dependence on virgin fibres, and foster the adoption of lower-impact alternatives.
Image by Bananatex®

The Problem

The residual material or by-products generated after crop harvest are regarded as waste as they require disposal. However, given the realisation that agricultural waste can have economic value when utilised further, it is more specifically defined as residue rather than waste. Globally, more than five billion tonnes of agricultural residues are produced annually. 

Agricultural residue waste poses significant challenges for farmers in South and Southeast Asia. In India, the second largest agro-based economy in the world, it is estimated that 650 million tonnes of agricultural residue are produced annually and about 92 million tonnes are burned as it is seen as a nuisance, with little economic value. Farmers often burn it to shorten the time between harvesting and sowing the next crop, manage weeds and pests, and is a cheap way to dispose of the residues. 

This improper disposal of agri-residue exacerbates climate change and environmental harm. Parallely, the fashion industry’s heavy reliance on resource-intensive virgin fibres, such as cotton, contributes to excessive water use, pesticide consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The “Spinning Future Threads“ report authored by Laudes, highlighted the potential of various agri-residues, such as banana, hemp, and pineapple, for producing cellulosic and natural fibres. This presented an opportunity for brands to incorporate these feedstocks into their product lines, reducing their dependence on virgin fibres like cotton. Moreover, this shift offers a valuable economic opportunity for farmers, enabling them to diversify their revenue streams by transforming what was once considered waste into a profitable resource. 

This project aimed to enable the utilisation of agricultural residue to create new natural fibres in an economically viable and scalable way. We pursued this by assessing and executing pilots with selected technologies in collaboration with partner brands, supply chain players and ecosystem partners.

Objectives

  • Identify and validate the technical feasibility of innovations that successfully transform agricultural residue into more sustainable textile fibres.

  • Measure the environmental impact of alternative natural fibres relative to conventional natural fibres.

     

  • Tackle key barriers such as the inherent coarse characteristics of these fibres as well as drop-in feasibility for spinning.

  • Scale the technologies by putting innovators, brands and supply chain partners together in the consortium project, each fulfilling different responsibilities.

Threads and fibres

Image by AltMat

A three-phase approach was taken in this project to achieve the objectives. The phases and the activities included are as follows:

Phase 1 – Due Diligence Assessment
Mapping the landscape and conducting due diligence on selected innovators to understand the processing technology, fibre blends, feedstocks, fibre pricing, etc.

Phase 2 – Technical Feasibility Study and Environmental Impact Study
– Running technical feasibility tests with the six selected innovators (AltMat, Bananatex, and Agraloop by Circular Systems, Chlorohemp, BOHECO (HempTex India) and 9Fiber).
– Working with manufacturers to produce predetermined blends.
– Conducting a screening Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) on selected innovators to assess key impact hotspots. 

Phase 3 – Pilot and conduct potential additional trials
– Selecting three innovators based on the results of Phase 2 and conducting a pilot with the brands (AltMat, Bananatex, and Agraloop by Circular Systems).
– Producing a select number of blends, carrying out testing and developing product prototypes for denim, t-shirts, jackets and footwear.

Key Findings

  • Agri-residue feedstocks are a viable source for making natural fibres and are compatible with cotton spinning systems.

    Hemp, abaca and pineapple residues are suitable feedstocks for natural fibre production, demonstrating both technical feasibility and economic value. Fabrics with blends up to 30% pineapple, 40% hemp, and 100% abaca fibres were developed, meeting most of the performance specifications. A combination of innovative processes — mechanical, chemical, and enzymatic — are used to extract fibres compatible with cotton spinning systems.

  • Agri-residue fibres have a lower environmental impact than conventional cotton.

    Screening Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) carried out by Fashion for Good and third-party impact measurements carried out by the innovators showed reduced Global Warming Potential, energy use, water consumption, eutrophication, and acidification. This is due to lower resource (land and water) use, reduced chemical inputs, carbon sequestration (the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) used to reduce its amount in the atmosphere) and more energy-efficient processing.

  • Traceability is key.

    Innovators must validate the source of their agri-residues to give brands confidence in incorporating it into their sustainability narrative.

  • Agri-residue fibres are not a direct replacement for cotton but offer the potential for various applications.

    The end fabrics often have a slightly different hand feel to conventional cotton. However, blending hemp and pineapple fibres (up to 30%) with fibres like cotton and modal allows for tailoring properties (including strength, hand-feel, drape, pilling, and dimensional stability), while abaca fibres yield 100% banana fabric. Post-treatments such as bio-enzyme finish enhance the hand-feel and drape of the fabric. Therefore brands should evaluate where each material fits best within their product line. A strategic co-development approach among innovators, supply chain partners, and brands is essential to understand the fibres’ properties and applications. The partnership between AltMat and Shahi, a vertically integrated apparel manufacturer, controlling multiple stages of the production process, is a promising example of scaling sustainable materials.

Next Steps

To accelerate the adoption and scale-up of agri-residue fibres in the textile industry, a concerted effort is needed from various stakeholders. 

Key Stakeholders: Agri-residue fibre innovators, textile manufacturers, brands and retailers, policymakers and regulatory bodies.

Action 1: Invest in research & development of agri-residue natural Fibres and fabric
Further investment and technology validation are needed to explore new feedstocks, optimise processing techniques (e.g., enzyme combinations, reaction conditions), and support infrastructure development to enhance fibre properties.

Action 2: Brands should strategically identify the best applications for agri-residue fibres
Although agri-residue fibres are not currently a direct like-for-like replacement for cotton they do have properties that make them a suitable replacement for several applications that use cotton. Brands should collaborate with their supply chain and explore new uses to integrate these fibres into their products.

Action 3: Implement traceability and advocate for policy reforms
Innovators must establish traceability systems to verify agri-residue origins and ensure compliance with environmental and social standards. Clear labelling and source identification will boost supply chain transparency. Governments and industry should harmonise regulations, streamline procedures, and support policies that recognize agri-residue fibres.

Project Orchestrator:  The project was led by Fashion for Good, with catalytic funding from the Laudes Foundation.
FFG Partners: Laudes Foundation (catalytic funder), adidas, Bestseller, PVH Corp., and Vivobarefoot.
Project Length & Geography: February 2021 – March 2024, in EU, USA, and India.
Innovators: AltMat, Bananatex, Chlorohemp, Agraloop by Circular Systems, BOHECO (HempTex India) and 9Fiber.
Press Release & Report: Project Launch Press Release.

CONTACT

If you are interested in working with innovators in this space or have an innovation you think would be relevant please reach out to us at innovations@fashionforgood.com

 

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