Innovations In Sustainable Textiles

New Products and Innovation

Innovations In Sustainable Textiles

In view of dwindling resources, especially through resource intensive natural fibres like cotton and the environmental impact of petroleum-based fibres like acrylic, polyester, nylon and spandex, it is about time for the textile and apparel industry to look for sustainable alternatives.

Nettle fibre, apple waste, pineapple fibre are some examples of how brands and manufacturers are innovating to reduce their carbon footprint.

Handbags from apple waste

Is it possible to make a material out of apples that does not only look surprisingly a lot like leather but also feels like it? "Yes, it is", confirms Tanja Schenker, founder of the sustainable and vegan handbag label happy genie. She adds though that the road from idea to finished material was not an easy one. "I was looking for a suitable material for almost a year," remembers the resourceful entrepreneur. "In the beginning at fairs but then I got disappointed that nothing was offered there yet."

Until a designer friend mentioned a TV documentary about the inventor of a new sustainable material made of apples who lived in Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy. This sounded good to Schenker's ears and she spent a week on the phone before she tracked down the inventor's mobile number. When it turned out that he happened to be in Zurich where happy genie is based, things finally seemed to fall into place & both met up the very next day.

A material in between leather and faux leather

The rest was not history but merely the starting point for the real work, "I needed to do a lot of persuading to convince our Italian manufacturers that the effort was worth it," says Schenker. Even though they liked the idea of a sustainable material in general, the raw material was very different from what they were used to -- leather and faux leather. "Much work went into it and the beginning was quite a bumpy road. The first prototypes did not look very appealing," she remembers.

But because Schenker was such a driving force and had a strong vision of what the finished product should look like based on the material she had seen in Bolzano, soon the not so appealing prototypes became beautiful luxury handbags whose material amazed even experts as it seems to be somewhere between leather and faux leather.

"Most leather manufacturers know how to work with faux leather," explains Schenker. "However, faux leather melts and leather can be painted on - neither of which was possible with the new material." This was a big challenge for the production facilities that Schenker knew through working with her first handbag label "Genie in a Bag". "But now, everyone is really proud of the happy genie bags."

"The great thing is that there are so many apples in Bolzano; which means, there will always be enough of the raw material," adds Schenker. Also important were the short distances between each manufacturing step, placing happy genie's entire value chain in Italy. The apples are grown and juiced in Bolzano, the leftover fibre then dried and ground to a powder. A factory close to Florence mixes it with colour and a binding agent before it gets applied on a canvas to produce an innovative material, which gets its leather look through embossing. A family business in Varese, five kilometres away from the Swiss border, then makes each bag by hand. Even the metal components, which are completely nickel free and palladium plated, are made in Italy.

Nettle fibres and yarns are materials of the future

German designer Gesine Jost is probably among the first few to use the flexible, shiny nettle fibres and fabrics in her collections. "We are conditioned to stay away from stinging nettles but wrongly so," says the designer who proves the usefulness of the material in her studio in Düsseldorf where she displays pullovers, cardigans, t-shirts, skirts and a coat made from stinging nettle yarn.

Since then, the interest in sustainable yarns and cotton alternatives has further increased. "This new trend for stinging nettle fibres has been driven by concerns over the environmental damage caused by the production of fabrics such as cotton. In the hunt for new, ecologically friendly fabrics, stinging nettle fibre has come up smelling of roses," confirms Swiss supplier of nettle fibres and yarns SwicoFil.

And deciding on nettle fibres for garment production literally means going back to the roots as people have worn clothes made from nettle fibres and yarns for the past 2,000 years with earliest traces being found from the late Bronze Age in Voldtofte, Denmark. There is evidence of nettle cloth production in Scandinavia, Poland, Germany, Russia and Scotland as well but also outside of Europe, given that of the three main fibre-producing nettle species -- European nettle, Himalayan nettle and Ramie -- the latter produces a fine fibre that has been produced commercially in China and Japan for a while now.

During the First World War, nettle clothing had a brief comeback when the German army, due to a shortage of cotton, used it for their soldiers' uniforms. So did the French army under Napoleon, by the way. And they may have been more comfortable than soldiers today as similar to hemp, nettle fibres provide natural air conditioning. How? Well, nettle fibres are hollow, which means they are filled with air inside, which creates a natural insulation.

Nettle clothing is cool in the summer and warm in winter

Yarn producers use this property by twisting the yarn lengths closed for cool summer clothes to reduce insulation while using a low twist for winter clothes to keep the hollow fibre open to allow for a constant temperature. Quite clever, isn't it?

But that's not all - stinging nettle fibres are extremely versatile. And unlike hemp fibres, there is no legal issue with the cultivation of nettles, which has made the plant a viable and legal cash crop. Plus, like hemp, nettles use much less water and pesticides to grow.

Ray Harwood, professor of the textile engineering and materials research group at Leicester's De Montfort University, believes that nettle fibres, yarns and clothes are the materials of the future. He is involved in the first contemporary British project to develop nettles as a fabric, which is aptly called STING - Sustainable Technologies in Nettle Growing. The researchers have also partnered with furnishing textile producer Camira for Oeko Tex 100-certified nettle fabrics.

In 2004, Florence-based fashion house Corpo Nove introduced jeans with nettle yarn that were a huge hit at Selfridges. Netl, a Dutch fashion label, collaborated with sustainable designer Rianne de Witte for a first collection that featured clothes in vibrant colours and geometric shapes that were a blend of 75% cotton and 25% nettle yarns.

The company even harvested the stinging nettles from its own plantations and had the clothes sewn in factories in Europe that complied with fair labour practices. Because nettle fibres and yarns are easy to procure and use, they are widely used - be it as a mix with other fibres in commercial collections or in their pure form in homegrown designs. Last but not least, those worried about the sting of the stinging nettles, need not worry at all. "You cut them and dehydrate them, the pressure goes, so there's no sting," explains Harwood.

Making fibres out of lotus stems has a long tradition

Using lotus fibres to weave into fabrics might sound exotic in the western world but in countries like Thailand or Myanmar for example, villagers have been using lotus fibres for rare fabrics for centuries. The process is quite time consuming but produces a luxurious fabric that feels like a combination of silk and raw linen. After harvesting the lotus stems from lakes, the artisans slice the end of the stems and pull out the long, thin fibres from the centre. This has to be done within three days of cutting or the result will not be as desirable. The obtained threads are then washed and hung to dry and finally handwoven on looms into fabric.

Sounds complicated and time-consuming? Well, it is and the resulting garments are a far cry from fast fashion and priced accordingly. An enterprising company from India -- where the lotus is the national flower -- wanted to change that and has come up with a tailored fit white shirt made out of lotus stems because apart from a beautiful look and feel, there is another distinct advantage - they are stain resistant.

NoMark Lotus shirts are stain resistant

"It is just the best white shirt ever made," enthuses Binoy Ravjani, co-founder and CEO of Jaipur- based Hero's Fashion Pvt Ltd, adding that "lotus fabric is the most ecological fabric in the world. Waste is transformed into a quality textile that doesn't use any polluting resources such as oil, electricity, gas or any toxic chemicals during any stage of the production process."

The process is similar to the traditional described above - once the lotus stems have been harvested, the fibres are collected and harvested and meticulously rolled into thread, which is then hand woven using traditional Thai or Burmese frame looms. The difference is that the fabric is then GOTS certified and the shirt tailor-made for each customer.

No wonder then that the light-weight, soft, silky and extremely breathable shirt has a calm and peaceful, almost meditative effect on the wearer. Ravjani swears by its healing abilities, which can cure - to some extent - headaches, heart ailments, asthma and lung issues. In addition, the NoMark Lotus shirt is easy on the environment, lasts many years because it does not need to be washed so often and has additional features that add to its longevity.

"We chose to go for the hydrophobic nanotechnology, instead of the traditional sprays which are harmful to the environment and make the fabric rough and unbreathable," says the company on its website when explaining the shirt's anti-stain properties. So even if you spill red wine, ink, coffee or any other liquid that usually spells disaster for any garment, it will just roll off the NoMark Lotus shirt.

At 135 euros, the shirt does not come cheap but given its many advantages, the expense seems well worth it. Plus, the company is transparent about the shirt's sourcing and true cost (58.50 euros) and the amount spent on each expense like materials, accessories, labour, transport and miscellaneous. The company also offers a campaign price of 85 euros plus free worldwide shipping.

Samatoa Lotus Textiles specialises in lotus fabrics

Any apparel maker who feels inspired to use lotus fabrics in their own line does not need to reinvent the wheel - or the loom in this case. There are companies out there specialising in lotus fabrics, for example Samatoa Lotus Textiles in Cambodia. The company employs socially responsible manufacturing techniques to create eco fabrics that support women's empowerment in the country. The fabrics are made in traditional ways but by using new ecofibers.

"Preserving the environment, paying people fairly and treating each person with respect and dignity are our prerequisites for a sustainable fashion business. All of our workers are paid a living wage, have trade union rights, paid leave, and health insurance, not to mention a safe working environment," explains the company on its website and shows just how exactly lotus textiles are made at Samatoa from stem to fabric.

Hemp, a fabric to dye for

Hemp fibres are among the most versatile natural fibres and have come a long way from the thick, burlapy fibres that they were associated with decades ago. By now, hemp fibres can accommodate many different types of fabrics. The growing region determines the type of fibre and resulting fabric; for example, the hotter and dryer the region, the better for sturdier, burlap-type fabrics, whereas cooler regions produce thinner stalks that are geared for softer, linen-like fabrics.

In addition, hemp is a fast-growing plant that requires very little water and no herbicides, pesticides, synthetic fertilisers or GMO seeds.

They are also tough - they are resilient and longer lasting than cotton garments and do not lose shape as easily. In addition, hemp fabrics kill bacteria, making them naturally anti-microbial. Clothes made out of hemp fibres also turn into personal airconditiong systems as they have the best heat capacity ratio compared to all other fibres, meaning they keep the wearer cool in the summer and warm in the winter. And last but not least, hemp fabrics merge easily with dyes and do not discolour easily, meaning the garment stays the same shape and colour even after multiple washes. As an added bonus for the environment, the cultivation of hemp improves soil health by replenishing vital nutrients and preventing erosion.

So what's not to like? Unfortunately, there is the association of the Cannabis Sativa plant as a recreational drug, which has hampered the production and use of industrial hemp especially in the western world. Thus, it is no surprise that China is a step ahead when it comes to hemp cultivation as the country has never banned the industrial use of the cannabis plant like many other nations. This is why, at present, China accounts for over 50% of the global hemp production and holds more than half of the over 600 international patents on hemp fibre and textile production.

The Hempest, a producer of hemp clothing and marketplace headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and founded in 1995, takes advantage of China's extensive experience with hemp fibres and fabrics.

Given that mainstream brands like Adidas, Quiksilver, Patagonia and others have added products made of hemp to their offer has helped popularise hemp as a garment fibre.

Today, there are many brands like Woolrich, Cannabeings Designs, Hemp Authority and others that specialise in hemp clothing and accessories that are available through mainstream commercial channels like Amazon and others. Apart from its main namesake brand, The Hempest also sells clothing by hemp brands Hoodlamb, Nomads, Prana and Uprise Hemp. Currently, the world's leading producer of hemp is China, while production takes place in Europe, Chile and North Korea on a smaller scale. In the European Union, hemp is grown on around 15,000 hectares of land with major producers being France, Germany and the UK.