Business

Taiwan Entrepreneur Marketing Banana Fiber to the Global Apparel Industry

Published

By Devin Tsai/John Van Trieste

Open in App

Entrepreneur Nelson Yang is working to put Taiwanese banana fiber on the map as an eco-friendly alternative to materials that can't biodegrade. And he's hoping to convince the world's apparel industry this plentiful natural material is something to consider in their products.

Banana Fiber: Taiwan’s Next Sustainable Export?

 

REPORTER:  

Nelson Yang watches closely as the workers at his central Taiwan factory process what he hopes will be Taiwan’s next hit export. Since at least 2008, European sneaker brands have been seeking out materials just like this one — perfect for blending with cotton into yarn or for shaping into vegan leather. The banana fibers come from the same fields that provide food — and best of all, they’re biodegradable.

 

Nelson Yang (CEO, FARM TO MATERIAL):  

What we hope to achieve is a fully natural shoe where every part is made from natural materials such as lignocellulose biomass, plant-based proteins or animal-based proteins. When this kind of shoe is buried in soil it will completely break down into glucose and become nutrients for plants. That’s our ultimate goal.

 

REPORTER:  

Taiwan has good conditions for growing bananas, and was once a major exporter, even called a “banana kingdom.” Even today, the country grows several hundred thousand tons of the fruit each year. This banana fiber project uses parts of the banana tree that would normally be left to rot, as one of Nelson Yang’s collaborators explains.

 

Yu Chih-jung (GENERAL MANAGER, YILUNG AGRICULTURAL CO.):  

It’s the section in the middle of the banana plant, like a tree trunk. Its main function is to transport nutrients and water. After harvesting, this part is usually discarded in the field. But it happens to contain a good amount of fiber which Mr. Yang and his team can use as a material in the textile industry.

 

REPORTER:  

The company is still in something of a start-up mode. Despite years of interest in just this kind of eco-friendly fiber, no apparel companies have placed an order with the factory. Those in Taiwan’s textile trade have faith, though, that with enough work, banana fiber will find its market.

 

Charlotte Chiang (TAIWAN TEXTILE FEDERATION):  

Our recommendation is to establish a standardized specification for banana fiber to ensure consistent quality and provide quantifiable data. If these aspects are strengthened it will help build trust and adoption by brands. And banana fiber could become a new highlight for Taiwan in the field of biomass fiber in the textiles industry.

 

REPORTER:  

The hope is that one of Taiwan’s abundant resources can start to replace plastics and synthetic fibers, easing the apparel industry’s environmental footprint in an ever eco-conscious age.