Banana Fiber Fabrics

Qwstion introduced Bananatex as an innovative plant-based material that's created from banana plants and has the potential to be used as a replacement for polyester and other plastic-based materials.

The company set out to create an eco-friendly technical fabric based on the fact that various synthetic fibers are created from fossil fuels and seldom recycled. The company's experimentation with natural materials like hemp, bamboo and linen, led to it to learn about abacá, a plant within the banana family that's often used to create rope or paper—unlike the banana fruit that consumers are familiar with, the fruit produced by this plant isn't eaten.

While some natural materials require a significant amount of resources to grow, the banana plants used for the making of Bananatex provide a much more sustainable alternative. Bananatex is lightweight and soft yet strong, with a naturally water-resistant coating.