From food to textiles - the new fibers
Did you know that 1/3 of all food produced globally is thrown away? Have you ever consider how much waste there is due to parts of crops we we don’t eat, like peels of fruit? What do with all the discarded fruit waste?
The last few years, textile fibres made of fruit and other food crops has become more common. Many of the innovations has been rewarded and cherished for solving two problems at the same time; a more eco-friendly textile material and reduction of food waste. They have also proven to be good alternatives for animal materials, perfect for vegans.
Here’s a list of some of the most common ones:
The company Circular Systems are taking care of crop residue caused by farming of hemp, flax, pineapple and sugar cane and turns it into a fiber. The company says that these five crops are contributing to a waste equal 250 000 tons of fibre, more than twice the demand every year.
Fruit-leather (for example mango)
The company Fruitleather Rotterdam continue to challenge themselves by creating several materials of food-waste. Lately, from mango waste!
Yep, at the University of Delaware students have designed a prototype sandal made of mushrooms. They’ve been using mycelium, the root system of mushrooms, which naturally binds biodegradable materials together as it grows. Combined with other agriculture water material this shoe is biodegradable. However, the sole is not yet water resistant and the flexibility not the best therefore we have to wait until we can buy mushroom sandals.
Is made of byproduct from the citrus juice industry. Only in Italy 700 000 tons citrus waste is produced very year and the founders decided to do something about it. The material was launched in 2017 and has been used among luxury brands.
It’s a leather material made of the the pineapples leaves. Pineapples doesn’t require much water or chemicals and the leaves gives farmers and an extra income. Mostly used by vegan brands and among footwear brands.
It’s a leather material made of byproducts from the wine industry, such as skin, seeds and stems. A rewarded Italian based company.
Watch the videos below and get inspired. The future is here!