Bananatex is a natural

cellulosic Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of β(1→4) linked D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important structural component of the primary cell wa ...

biodegradable Biodegradation is the breakdown of organic matter by microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi. It is generally assumed to be a natural process, which differentiates it from composting. Composting is a human-driven process in which biodegradati ...

"technical"

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

made of

Abacá Abacá ( ; fil, Abaka ), binomial name ''Musa textilis'', is a species of banana native to the Philippines, grown as a commercial crop in the Philippines, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. The plant, also known as Manila hemp, has great economic impor ...

banana plant fibres (also known as Manila hemp). The plants are grown in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

as part of a

sustainable forestry Sustainable forest management (SFM) is the management of forests according to the principles of sustainable development. Sustainable forest management has to keep the balance between three main pillars: ecological, economic and socio-cultural. ...

project in

Catanduanes Catanduanes (; ), officially the Province of Catanduanes, is an island province located in the Bicol Region of Luzon in the Philippines. It is the 12th-largest island in the Philippines, and lies to the east of Camarines Sur, across Maqueda ...

. Bananatex was developed and is distributed by the Swiss canvas goods company QWSTION and is used in the company's own products as well as in other companies' manufactured goods. Bananatex was developed to have better

wear Wear is the damaging, gradual removal or deformation of material at solid surfaces. Causes of wear can be mechanical (e.g., erosion) or chemical (e.g., corrosion). The study of wear and related processes is referred to as tribology. Wear in m ...

characteristics than cotton while being more sustainable. Although not as durable as synthetics like

Cordura Cordura is a collection of synthetic fiber-based fabric technologies used in a wide array of products including luggage, backpacks, trousers, military wear and performance apparel. Originally developed and registered as a trademark by E.I. ...

, it avoids cordura's limitations of being a

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

and being non-biodegradable. Bananatex is sold in a range of colours and is available with or without a natural

beeswax Beeswax (''cera alba'') is a natural wax produced by honey bees of the genus ''Apis''. The wax is formed into scales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees, which discard it in or at the hive. The hive workers ...

waterproof coating.

Development

Bananatex was developed over three years by Zurich, Switzerland-based fashion company QWSTION, which was founded in 2008 to research renewable materials to replace synthetic textiles. The company was created to address environmental, economic and social sustainability issues of petroleum-based synthetic materials in the textile manufacturing industry. Bananatex was created in collaboration with a yarn

spinning Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

company in

Tainan, Taiwan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a special municipality in southern Taiwan facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and also commonly known as the "Capital City" for its over 200 years of his ...

Production process

Unlike

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

and some other natural fibres like

Abacá plants require no pesticides, herbicides or irrigation. This allows mixed-species, organic plantations in areas which were

monoculture In agriculture, monoculture is the practice of growing one crop species in a field at a time. Monoculture is widely used in intensive farming and in organic farming: both a 1,000-hectare/acre cornfield and a 10-ha/acre field of organic kale are ...

oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm ''Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its co ...

plantations, and in deforested rainforest cut down for

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

. Growing abacá plants can reduce

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

, increase

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

and enrich the soil. This is accomplished by interplanting abacá with other plant species and by allowing discarded abacá leaves to decompose and return their nutrients to the soil.

Cultivation

The Abacá plants are grown in Catanduanes in the Philippine highlands without the use of water or pesticides. The banana plant is harvested up to three times per year. File:01-QWSTION-BANANATEX-ABACA-LEAVES-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 1. Abacá plants have several stalks which can be harvested annually and regenerate fully within a year. File:06-QWSTION-BANANATEX-ABACA-HARVEST-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 2. Abacá plants are harvested by “topping”, cutting the leaves with a bamboo sickle, cutting or “tumbling” the stalks. The leaves are compost on the ground, creating a fertiliser. File:12-QWSTION-BANANATEX-TUXYING-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 3. The tuxy, the outer layer of the leaf sheath contains primary fibres is separated from the inner layers. File:13-QWSTION-BANANATEX-TUXYING-2-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 4. The inner layers contain the secondary fibres and pulpy material. File:14-QWSTION-BANANATEX-STRIPPING-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 5.The tuxies are separated by hand using a stripping knife at the harvesting site. File:16-QWSTION-BANANATEX-STRIPPING-LAUSCHSICHT-2.jpg, 6. The fibres are then “combed” to separate them. File:20-QWSTION-BANANATEX-FIBERS-2-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 7. The fibres are then air-dried and bundled together before being transported from forest to the trading warehouse of the farmers cooperative. File:23-QWSTION-BANANATEX-ABACA-GRADES.jpg, 8. There they are sorted by colour grades, with lighter coloured fibres being more expensive due to their rarity.

Processing

File:30-QWSTION-BANANATEX-FIBER-PULP-SHEETS-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 1. The raw fibres are tied with rope and shipped to Mindanao, Philippines, where they are boiled and pressed into cardboard like sheets which are then shipped to Taiwan. File:31-QWSTION-BANANATEX-PAPER-MAKING.jpg, 2. The abacá fibre sheets are then soaked in water. File:32-QWSTION-BANANATEX-ABACA-PAPER-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 3. They are then made into paper which are then cut into strips. File:34-QWSTION-BANANATEX-YARN-SPINNING.jpg, 4. The paper strips are then spun into yarn.

Dyeing and weaving

File:36-1-QWSTION-BANANATEX-YARN-DYEING-2.jpg, 1. The natural white yarn is sent to Qwstion's dyeing and weaving partner in Tainan, Taiwan. They colour the yarn using the yarn dyeing method which is more sustainable than the roll dyeing alternative and certified OekoTex® Standard 100, the highest standard. File:40-QWSTION-BANANATEX-WARPING-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 2. The warp yarns are then prepared for weaving. File:38-QWSTION-BANANATEX-WEAVING-3-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, 3. The yarn is then woven at extra high density. File:48-QWSTION-BANANATEX-LOOM-LAUSCHSICHT.jpg, Weaving looms processing the Bananatex fabric. File:49-QWSTION-BANANATEX-FABRIC.jpg, 4. A natural beeswax coating is added to make the fabric waterproof.

Products using Bananatex

Several companies use Banantex in their products: * QWSTION: produce a range of bags and laptop sleeves. * Good News x H&M: London footwear company Good News and H&M have collaborated on a range of

sneakers Sneakers (also called trainers, athletic shoes, tennis shoes, gym shoes, kicks, sport shoes, flats, running shoes, or runners) are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but which are now also widely used fo ...

. * Magazin x Softline: Magazin and Danish furniture company Softline have produced a daybed with a Bananatex cover. * PALAIUS: produces the MAE Chair, a handmade steel frame chair with Bananatex fabric.

Material properties

The fibre of Abacá hemp has many different industrial applications due to its extremely high mechanical strength and length of 2 to 3 metres. These mechanical properties make Bananatex strong and durable, while also being soft, lightweight and flexible.

Awards and prizes

* 2020: German Sustainability Award Design 2021 Winner ( Pioneers) * 2019: Bundespreis Ecodesign Winner ( Product) * 2019: Design Preis Schweiz Winner ( Textile Design) * 2019: Green Product Award 2019, Material for Bananatex® by QWSTION * 2019: Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards 2019, Gold in category: Marketing Communication B2C for Bananatex * 2018: Goldener Hase, Design for Bananatex by QWSTION

External links

Bananatex website

References

{{reflist Materials Bananas Brands by product type