MAVOLU is an online platform for sustainable fashion and accessories made from innovative textiles and future materials. This includes materials made from agricultural waste or by-products of the food processing industry, such as banana fibre made from the pseudo stem of the banana plant.

About the Solution

Fossil fashion is killing the planet. We must reduce the amount of textile fibres that are either fossil-fuel based or consume a high amount of natural resources. Let’s rethink current production patterns and increase investment and R&D in less common, innovative materials that offer alternatives to current production methods. One of many solutions is fibre production from agricultural residue. Our research, based in Chennai, India, investigated banana fibre. This is a bast fibre derived from the pseudostem of the banana plant. Made from waste material that would otherwise be burnt or left to rot, it is extremely resource efficient. The extraction and processing methods for banana fibre can vary to a great extent, some more eco-friendly than others. Depending on those methods, the quality of banana fibre can range from a rough bast fibre to a shiny soft yarn that is very similar to silk.

Triple Bottom Line

Sustainability Impact Measurements

Environmental: No new resources (water, land, energy) are required for the cultivation of banana fibre due to it being made entirely from agricultural waste.

Social: The production of banana fibre creates new jobs and extra income streams for farming communities in rural areas.

Economic: Banana fibre is obtained from the waste of banana plants, which are a cheap, renewable and widely available resource cultivated in around 129 countries.