Bangladesh has made a name for itself as one of the most important garment manufacturing and exporting nations in the world. It has innovative entrepreneurs and a hardworking workforce, yet the country lacks significant amounts of natural resources for the textile industry, according to a press statement issued by CSI.

Pineapple fiber is about to change that. Pineapple fiber has huge potential for sustainable fashion “made in Bangladesh”. As a renewable and natural resource, pineapple leaves are a sustainable fiber source for the global fashion industry. Within efforts for a circular economy, utilisation of byproducts is of core importance, and pineapple fiber does just that.

 

Pineapple fiber is made from pineapple leaves, a by-product of pineapple farming that would be disposed otherwise. This makes it a highly sustainable and renewable resource. Being natural and biodegradable, it does not produce microplastic and alleviates pressure on landfills. Production of the fiber is clean, sustainable and compliant when done responsibly.

 

Pineapple fiber has excellent qualities beyond sustainability that make it competitive in the global fashion and textile industry.

 

It is versatile and can be used as material for home textiles, denim and other apparel, either in combination with other sustainable materials or purely. Industrially produced pineapple fiber is a new, sustainable material for the global fashion industry. Industrial pineapple fiber production

 

Right now, more than 200,000 tonnes of pineapple are harvested in Bangladesh every year, from which an estimated amount of 4,500 tonnes of fiber could be produced. Moreover, India and South East Asian countries produce significant amounts of pineapple as well. If the full potential pineapple fiber can be exploited to a maximum, and by-products from agriculture be utilised in textiles for export, a win-win situation for Bangladesh will be created.

 

To test this concept, CSI has conducted a case study as part of its “Partnership for Compliance”. In cooperation with research centers and local partners, the Partnership for Compliance has been researching and developing methods to upscale pineapple fiber into an industrial yarn production for the fashion and textile industry. They have now successfully completed a first test run of industrial pineapple fiber production, that, if upscaled, will pioneer in this area.

 

Source: thefinancialexpress.com.bd