When it comes to demand of a material, humans never seem to make enough of it. The Leather and Synthetic fibre industry has experienced an ever-increasing demand since hundreds of years, with the former becoming a status symbol over the centuries. Sadly, it creates insurmountable environmental damage and needs to be replaced with something better, like Piñatex, a fibre that is an effective leather and synthetic substitute made from pineapple leaves.
Developed through many years of research by Dr. Carmen Hijosa, it was a result of passionate aversion towards leather goods. Dr. Hijosa was consulting on the Philippine’s leather export industry in the 1990’s when she saw the environmental impact of mass leather production and chemical tanning, which eventually led her to strive towards a sustainable alternative. She was deeply inspired by the existing plant fibre usage in traditional weaving like the Barong Tagalog garments. She sought to create “a new, non-woven textile that could be commercially produced” which would also positively affect the socio-economic-environmental front.
Piñatex is manufactured and sold by Ananas Anam, founded by Dr. Hijosa herself. It aims at developing products that promotes ecological as well as cultural development. For this, they use a pineapple harvest waste as their raw material- the leaves. This eliminates the need of any additional input in growing the material, lowering the resource consumption and supplementing the farmer’s income on top their seasonal sales.
Ananas Anam currently works with the farmers of Philippines and looks forward to working with the farming communities of other countries as well.
Wealth from waste
At Ananas Anam, the pineapple leaves are collected by the farmers themselves and long fibres are extracted from them using semi-automatic machines. The leftover biomass can be used as natural fertiliser or bio-fuel, which further acts for the environment’s wellness. The fibres are washed, sun-dried, purified and result in a fluffy material, which then gets mixed with corn based polylactic acid – eliminating plastic. It goes through a mechanical process to create Pinafelt after that, which is the base of all Piñatex collections. It is fit for use across fashion, accessories and upholstery, with numerous brands like H&M and Hilton Hotel Bankside availing it for creating clothing, footwear, and other utility accessories.
In the manufacturing process of Piñatex, 264 tons of CO2 is saved by not burning the supposed waste leaves which also disperses pollutants in the air. It is a much better alternative to real leather, as the tanning process involved with the latter needs more or less 250 chemicals to be used. They include toxins like cyanide which can be harmful to the ecosystem and its inhabitants. Piñatex uses lesser water and generates low amounts of production waste, harming no animals or the environment in the process.
From just experimenting around samples to developing a feasible supply chain, Piñatex triumphs in Circular Economy and Cradle to Cradle values. Dr. Hijosa has received her due recognition through awards including the Cartier Women’s Initiative Award in 2015 and the Innovate UK Women in innovation award 2016. She still works towards the development of Piñatex and continues to inspire and sustain.
