Clothes made of banana peels: How fruit waste can be turned into a sustainable cotton alternative

Every year, the world produces about 10 million metric tonnes of bananas a year. ​​35% of the banana’s weight are in the peels, which result in 3.5 million tonnes of waste per year.

Peels thrown away by consumers are just one part of the issue: banana plantations also leave an immense amount of unused material. After harvesting, almost 60% of banana biomass is discarded.

A more efficient and sustainable use for banana waste is to transform them into sustainable textiles. The global fashion industry today is hugely reliant on fossil materials, stretching from polyester to water-intensive cotton farmed on overworked soils. As the search for circular textiles at scale intensifies, banana waste could be one of the raw materials ideally placed to supply the demand.

As the second biggest banana producer in the world, Uganda is the natural home of banana waste valorisation.

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TexFad leads the way in the Ugandan banana waste value chain, having developed technologies for banana fibre extraction and the production of high quality banana fibre textiles and handicrafts including yarn, fabric, and home furnishings like rugs and lampshades. All their crafts are designed to be completely biodegradable.

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