From the perennial to the catwalk – introducing banana silk
The textile industry contributes significantly to environmental pollution: Banana Silk is an environmentally friendly alternative to textile production.
Banana silk as an environmentally friendly alternative to make textile production more environmentally conscious and socially just.
The European Environment Agency calculated in 2022 that annual textile consumption per capita was 270 kilograms. This corresponds to a car journey from Hamburg to Madrid. No wonder the global textile industry is responsible for 10% of global CO2 emissions. The fashion industry alone is the second dirtiest industry. More than 100 billion items of clothing are produced in the industry every year – more than double the number made 24 years ago. Around 3,000 liters of water are required to produce a 100% cotton T-shirt. This corresponds to the amount of water that a person would drink on average in 2.5 years. A 220 gram T-shirt that is worn an average of 40 times and ultimately emits around 11 kilograms of CO2. For a comparable T-shirt made from 100% polyester, the carbon footprint is more than twice as large. And what’s more, it is responsible for 35% of the plastic in our oceans and other waters.
What is banana silk and how is used
With fashion pollution on the rise and increasing need for sustainable fashion, many manufacturers are looking into sustainable textiles. Perhaps you as a consumer may even be wanting to learn more about sustainable fashion and textiles
What is banana silk
The short answer is that it’s a sustainable textile with increasing popularity. Among many of the sustainable textiles, banana silk has experienced increased demand as a substitute for silk from silk-worms. Its unique characteristics also lend itself to being a substitute for cotton, which requires a lot of water to grow and manufacture into clothes.
Banana fibers made from the pseudo-stem of banana trees have been used to make textile surfaces since around 1300 AD. Countries like the Philippines, Malaysia and India were early to reap the benefits of this fiber. For several decades, banana fiber has been used in the semi-chemical process of the cellulose process, creating banana silk. The cellulose-rich fiber is dissolved with a solvent and then spun into a filament. Similar to other alternatives to silk such as modal, lyocell or cupro. The recycled fiber is soft, silky and robust with cooling and warming functions. It is versatile and the perfect alternative to traditional knit or jersey made from wool, cotton, silk or chemical fibers.
Banana silk characteristics
Banana silk is a textile with a natural shine made from the stems or stalks of banana plants. The specific species of banana is called Abaca and named “Musa Textilis,” which bears inedible fruit. Not only does it have a lustrous shine, but it is also a durable textile, making it very versatile.
Because it’s made of organic materials, it’s also biodegradable. This makes banana silk eco-friendly, unlike the synthetic, plastic-based clothes that take a very long time to degrade. It’s also a light material that does a great job of absorbing moisture, making it a great material for making clothes.
Harvesting and manufacturing banana silk
Another reason why banana silk is sustainable is because the Abaca plant it is derived from is a high potential crop. The plant takes 18 to 24 months to mature and it can grow 12 to 30 stalks per plant. Once matured, the stalks can be cut and harvested. The plants will continue to grow and then they can be harvested again every few months.
It only takes a 37 kg of stalk to make 1 kg of fibre, which can then be used to make various things. The Philippine Textile Research Institute suggests that banana plantations in the Philippines alone can generate over 300,000 tonnes of fibre because so much of the banana plant stalk is wasted each year.
Through a blend of cotton, pineapple fibres, or raw silk, the banana silk can become even more structured.
How is banana silk used
Once turned into a fibre, banana silk can be used in a variety of ways. Banana silk is not a new textile; it was actually traditionally used to make rugs. For example, Japanese banana silk rugs date all the way back to the 13th century. In Nepal, women traditionally hand weave banana silk into rugs, making them high-end artistry.
Banana silk can also be woven into clothes, ropes, mats, handbags, and paper. With its unique characteristics of being lustrous, durable, and biodegradable, banana silk lends itself to be a sustainable textile. It can be a piece of the puzzle in a more sustainable fashion future.
Paul Kadjo, the designer ambassador of Banana Silk
Paul Kadjo is a designer, stylist and founder of the brand bearing his name. Using an upcycling concept, Paul Kadjo produces textiles, accessories and art objects from old clothes, banana fibres and other by-products. Born in Germany and raised in the Ivory Coast, his work aims to reflect a fusion of different cultures and influences. He is a graduate of the AMD Akademie Mode & Design Hamburg and winner of the Best Sustainable Concept Award at Berlin Fashion Week 2021.
As an emerging fashion designer, he quickly recognized these dark sides of the fashion system and made it his mission to find a solution. A solution that offers real added value for people and the environment than just a seal of quality or the next greenwashing campaign.
Born in Germany and raised in Ivory Coast, he was clear to him early on that everyone had to benefit from it, especially those who have been oppressed by its structures throughout history and even today. It is the urgent need for a sustainable solution that led him to banana fiber, more specifically banana silk.
Another problem arises when growing the fourth most important food crop in the world: bananas. Their huge pseudo-stems make them one of the most wasteful crops in the world. With a lifespan of around 1.5 years, 400 kilograms of fibers for the textile and fashion sector could be obtained from one hectare alone. In one year we could produce two million tonnes of fiber, roughly equivalent to the amount of animal fiber currently produced worldwide, and would ultimately save 262 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.
So far, he has bought the fiber from a seller who works closely with the producers. The value creation initially takes place in rural areas of India. There, the pseudo-stem of the perennial is recycled by hand and then processed into yarn in women-led collaborations. Production then takes place entirely in Hamburg, where the yarn is processed by hand into fine knitwear by a non-profit association with a firmly associated professional entrepreneurial company. Orders are made to order and are zero waste thanks to the knitting process.
The exchange with the people in his supply chain, especially on the topic of banana silk, is extremely important to him. On the one hand, he wants to know how the system he depend on is doing, but on the other hand, he has another goal: to bring banana silk to West Africa.
The further goal is the fusion of craftsmanship and technically innovative manufacturing processes. Because he sees the connection between Europe and West Africa as an opportunity to create a sustainable society through fashion and sustainability. This includes the creation of fair and sustainable jobs, economic success and cultural recognition, knowledge and cultural transfer and intercultural exchange, as well as the preservation of rare or dying professions or craft skills. For this innovative business idea, he is currently looking for investors and partners who are willing to invest in the future.
sources: Ecosilky I LaundryWell I Paul Kadjo
cover image: LaundryWell website
author: Barbara Marcotulli
