Summer comes and goes, but summer fruit waste is a different matter.
The concern over food waste isn’t new, as about 1.3 billion tonnes of food produced for human consumption are disposed of per year, creating a massive landfill burden for the fashion industry.
Innovators decided to mitigate the situation by introducing fruit-derived garments that transform what was once simply thrown away, bringing a fresh wave to the industry with fashion-forward solutions.
Polybion: From old ways to Celium
Revolutionary biomaterials are for forward thinkers, says the company.
With nature and biology as its core notions, Polybion grows premium, next-generation biomaterials while staying committed to bringing performance and possibility to 21st-century designers and material engineers.
Polybion’s first forward-thinking product, Celium, is an alternative to animal-based, high-performance leather, totally converted from locally produced agro-industrial fruit waste.
Orange Fiber: From citrus to fashion
Staying true to its name, Orange Fiber creates fabrics by repurposing the leftovers of the citrus industry, rooted in its inaugural innovation process from 2012.
In partnership with global fibre company Lenzing in 2021, the company introduced the first Tencel-branded lyocell fibre crafted from orange pulp and wood sources – once again offering the fashion industry a new sustainable solution.
Bananatex: From bananas to biofabrics
Bananatex provides the world’s first durable, circular and plastic-free textile alternative made entirely from banana fibres. The leftover stalks of banana plants are extracted to create new yarn and fabric, potentially replacing synthetic materials.
Its most outstanding “Made from Bananatex” results would be the QWSTION backpack collection, which took the company a multi-year development collaboration with the Swiss bag brand to bring the first product conception to vivid life.
When innovators carry the same mission
By sharing the same social concern, these innovative companies embark on the journey of reshaping the industry with future-proof solutions that solve both fashion and food waste issues.
Fruit wastes should no longer be discarded without regard to the effects they leave on the environment. Instead, they now become the ‘nutrients’ for innovators to initiate new growth, while providing a reasonable answer to what will happen to the leftovers from our seasonal smoothie.
