Bananatex is the world’s first durable, technical fabric made purely from the naturally grown abacá banana plants. It was developed by Swiss bag brand and material innovators QWSTION in collaboration with a yarn specialist and a weaving partner, both based in Taiwan. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, Bananatex Co-Founder & CEO Hannes Schoenegger talks about abaca fabrics, its uses and innovation introduced by the company.
If we consider Bananatex as an alternative to synthetic fabrics, will there be enough abaca raw material available to replace all the synthetic fabrics? To what extent can synthetic fabrics be replaced?
There is a lot of raw material from existing production and the paper industry and there can be much more raw material when re-forestation programmes are scaled up. The huge amount of fossil fuel based synthetic fabrics (currently approx. 50 per cent of all fibres are polyester) cannot be replaced by Bananatex. Nature is based on variety, and we should work with many different materials in the future.
What are the unique properties of abaca that make it a good raw material for textiles and garments?
We are a bag brand called QWSTION and we developed Bananatex for our own products, in search of something rather heavy and durable. It works very well for that application – but we learned, using our material in furniture, footwear and mobility seems to be very suitable too. More recently, we have developed lighter versions and even jerseys which is good news for garment brands that want to work with alternatives.
Can abaca be used for all kinds of clothing ranging from innerwear to outerwear and adventure wear and why?
The fibre is rather heavy and sturdy – for now it works better on jackets, pants, outerwear. Having said that, we recently made a t-shirt, and it feels very comfortable on the skin, special but nice.
What is the present market size of abaca fabrics? What percentage of it is with Bananatex?
It is still too small to put it in relation to any global textile figure.
Where are the Bananatex fabrics produced, and in which countries/regions are they sold?
Our (QWSTION) supply chain is entirely set up in Asia with the intention to have short distances from fibre to yarn to product. Other brands might manufacture their products in other areas. Most Bananatex products are sold globally.
How does abaca compare with cotton in terms of water usage, emissions, and yield?
This is one of the most attractive elements. Our banana fibre grows in permaculture environment, together with shade giving trees and other crops. It grows wild or in agro forestry programmes that re-forest areas that used to be destroyed. It needs no chemicals, no pesticides, no fertiliser, not even water in addition to rain. Finally, we only harvest side stems, the banana plant itself keeps on growing for up to 40 years.
At present, abaca is grown in only 3 countries. Is the temperature suited in any other country to grow this crop?
We know there are some programmes to explore more areas, but aside of the Philippines, Costa Rica and Ecuador, there are no substantial volumes yet – as far as we know.
Besides QWSTION, who all have collaborated to create Bananatex?
In addition to QWSTION, Mae / Palaius, LEHNI, Softline / Magazin / Manufactum, H&M, and several smaller brands and projects. There will be more products coming in 2022 and beyond.
Your website terms Bananatex as a ‘technical’ fabric. What does it mean? Is it used more in technical textiles?
It refers to the rather clean, almost synthetic look by being fully natural. The use in our own bags requires such a material.
Cost-wise, how does abaca fabrics compare with cotton and synthetic fabrics? Does it come under the luxury bracket?
Our fabric is definitely premium from its price, handfeel and appearance. However, truly responsible alternatives will always come at their real costs – which means the prices are currently higher than many other materials that might appear “cheap” but will eventually be much more expensive when we as a society have to cover the damage costs.
What all permissions, licenses, and certifications are needed to start an abaca fabric production unit?
In general, you need suitable land and knowledge of how to cultivate in a permaculture with different plants that complement each other.
The concept of making fabric from abaca fibre is not new. What new innovation has been introduced by Bananatex?
No one homogenised the fibre into a very fine yarn before – which is the base for a fine structure and a stable production. This has been done together with our partners in Taiwan and Silicon Valley for the textile industry.
What is the current production capacity? Do you have any plans to increase the capacity?
Everything is set up on industrial volumes, with significant capacities. Often brands are challenged with our minimum order quantities.
At Bananatex, do you blend some other fibre with abaca to make fabric?
So far, every fabric we made is 100 per cent banana fibre and therefore plastic free, biodegradable and circular.
Are you doing anything in terms of traceability, so that the end consumer can easily identify that a product is made from abaca fibre?
We did accomplish a Cradle to Cradle certification, where end consumers can see the impact in every important area of responsibility: water, energy, material health, emissions and – very important – social impact. We have no blockchain technology integrated yet, maybe that’s a next step. We believe, the above mentioned areas are the ones that matter the most.
Published on: 24/02/2022
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
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