Bio-textile from Pineapple

Dr. Carmen was inspired by natural resources and weaving techniques to create a sustainable non-woven textile from pineapple residues.

The Ananas Anam company has created Piñatex®, a natural, non-woven textile made from pineapple leaf fibres. It is a soft, versatile, lightweight and durable material, making it suitable for use across fashion, soft interiors, automotive and other applications.

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It hits all the sustainability buttons at once: it is a material that is completely cradle to cradle (Cradle to Cradle Certified™), it substitutes leather that has a very heavy environmental and welfare impact, and it brings new income streams to subsistence farmers, allowing them to fully utilize their crops.

13 million tons of waste is created from global pineapple agriculture every year. This provides the basis that the same practice has a great potential to be replicated in several regions of the world.

The current practice is already offering the following benefits and results to farmers and local communities:

  • A new source of income for farming communities who otherwise rely on a seasonal harvest;

  • High profitability of reusing an otherwise discarded product (plant leaves);

  • The leftover biomass (after decortication) is retained to use as a natural fertiliser or biofuel, offering a further economic prospect;

  • 13 pineapple plants/480 pineapple leaves generate 1 square metre of Piñatex®

  • Lower environmental damage from a monetary worthy activity of leaves processing.

The entrepreneurial vision of the founder to connect people, ecology and economics resulted in determinant to create a vibrant new industry that is both socially and environmentally responsible.

Core Innovation