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Shaping the Future of Sustainable Fibres: Market Trends, Challenges, and Innovations

Published: February 18, 2025

Author: TANVI_MUNJAL

Anusha Verma

M Des (Fashion Technology)

Amity School of Fashion Technology

Amity University Mumbai

The organic fibre or eco-fibre market segment is anticipated to undergo the fastest growth during 2024-2032, majorly because of changing consumer behaviour patterns towards more eco-friendly alternatives. As per Textile Exchange, Organic cotton production has risen to 239 kilotons in the year 2019, and it is considered to contribute to the organic fibre segment growth. Similarly, as per the report from Grand View Research, the Asia Pacific Region holds the highest value in the global organic fiber market landscape owning to major economic growth by the rapidly increasing population with a CAGR of 9.2%, including economies such as India, China, Australia and Japan with a revenue of USD 14.90 billion in 2022.

Certainly, there are various restraining factors to a large-scale adoption of sustainable fibres, both in apparel and non-apparel sectors. The most prominent ones are the cost associated with the production and application of sustainable fibres, the level of control or manipulation possibility over the characteristics or properties of the fibre, the ease of production, the requirement of agricultural land and competition with food crops. The immense scope of customization with synthetic fibres, high strength, low costs and overall better applicability make them a better choice over natural fibres.

However, sustainable fibres in the market comprise man-made regenerated fibres as well and this fibre category has been found to have more scope in taking over a larger market share than natural fibres. The physiological performance of natural fibres and the inherent properties of absorbency, breathability and their hydrophilic nature are what sets them apart from others through a consumer’s perspective. Incorporating these characteristics into man-made regenerated fibres, which can be produced at a large scale, at comparatively low cost, with a scope for customisation as well has been a driving force in shaping sustainable fibre demand in the market for the consumers, and hence the industry.

There are numerous advantages of man-made regenerated fibres over completely natural fibres, the usage and production of more virgin fibres for making garments will introduce more material into the textile value chain, whereas man-made regenerated fibres have a scope of utilising recycled or scrap textile waste as pulp for making new fibres and introducing them back into the supply chain or loop for preventing their wastage, thereby ensuring less virgin fibre blending, less natural fibre production requirement and more alternatives to synthetic fibres or fibres with more carbon footprint. This shift in the perception of truly sustainable fibre is required to further shape the sustainable fibre demand, where the agricultural landscape is not being forced to produce more natural fibres and only organic, soil-friendly farming practices are being incorporated to get the required amount of natural fibre yield to fulfil the demand of the industry. However, fibres such as hemp have minimal water requirements, natural resistance to pests, high yield per acre, soil replenishing and high CO2 absorption characteristics but a large-scale agricultural requirement makes them compete with other food crops.

The immediate potential to fill the Cellulose Gap in the market while simultaneously discontinuing synthetic fibres has led to a substantial development in the man-made regenerated cellulosic fibre segment which includes bio-based renewable feedstock or wood-based cellulosic fibres (WBCF), along with other man-made fibres such as Polylactic Acid (PLA), Soy protein fibre, Casein fibre and many more, with much focus on the non-apparel textile sectors or technical textiles. These fibres have a regular fibre-producing industrial capacity, ease of scalability and low costs associated. However, there are certain drawbacks involving sustainability, excessive feedstock exploitation, chemical-heavy production processes etc., which could be compensated for by incorporating the recycled fiber pulp as feedstock.

Tencel (Lyocell) is one of the pioneering fibres driving this revolution involving sustainably sourced wood pulp, a closed loop manufacturing process, biodegradability, moisture-wicking properties and breathability with versatile applications in the industry, brands like Patagonia, Mate the Label, KOTN, Reformation, Yes Friends and numerous leading slow fashion companies have adopted it. In January 2024, India’s largest cellulose fibre manufacturer, Birla Cellulose got into a joint patent application with Nanollose for using bacterial cellulose in making high-tenacity Lyocell fibre. Other Biodegradable fibres such as Polylactic acid (PLA) and Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), made from corn and sugarcane, are being used due to their decomposition into non-harmful substances. Birla Cellulose also developed algae-based cellulosic fibres in partnership with Israeli start-up Algaeing. Their fibres are made from vertically farmed algae, they are biodegradable, zero-waste textiles infused with algae’s hues which gives a palette of naturally occurring colours. Algalife also offers functional fibres and dyes developed using microalgae.

The soya-bean fiber is used in disposable nonwovens as a melt-extrusion process makes soy-polyethylene (PE) resin which gives thin fibers, offering good strength, less cost and durability as compared to base polyethylene resin. The Lenzing EcoVero fabric, Modal (made from beech tree pulp), Seacell fibre (made from organic seaweed) and many more fibres have the potential to shape the sustainable fibre demand in the market in the upcoming years.

Recycled PET fibre or recycled polyester is being used in a variety of non-wovens such as EcoSure PET fibres (made from post-consumer 100% recycled PET containers), recycled carbon fibres (rCF) in non-woven sector obtained from Carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) is also being studied and more product applications are being developed.

Bio-based hybrid substances or Composites such as Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites (NFRPCs) or Green Composites have emerged as more sustainable and efficient alternatives to Synthetic Fiber Reinforced Composites as they are biodegradable, low weight, use less energy as compared to traditional composites, are less expensive and have excellent mechanical properties for applications in Biomedical, Construction, Packaging and Automotive Industries.

The rise in fibre demand is not only coming from the textiles and clothing sector but also from technical textiles sectors such as medical, transport, protective equipment, packaging, automotive, agriculture, construction and many more with tremendous growth in nonwoven and fibre-based composites. A report from Fortune Business Insights analysed the technical textiles sector from 2019 to 2026 and found that its market value stood at $159.29 billion in 2018 and is projected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.7 per cent between 2010 and 2026.

This change in share in the textile industry for nonwovens and technical textiles is also concerning as we have found numerous ways to incorporate sustainable fibres into apparel and clothing, but now the sustainable fibre demand is also likely to be shaped by the growing applications of sustainable fibres in different sectors other than apparel. Fibres such as Hemp, Ramie, Kenaf, Sisal, Flax, Coir, Abaca, Banana, Organic Cotton and many more organic and natural fibres have been increasingly used in innovative ways, offering a wide range of blends or blended fabrics in the market, which has helped in cutting down on the synthetic fibre composition in garments. However, even in the technical textile market, sustainable fibres such as DuPont Apexa (degradable polyester) for sportswear, Jutecell fibre (bactericidal and anti-fungal eco-friendly fibre) for healthcare and home textiles, DuPont Sorona fibre (bio-based polyester polymer with plant-based ingredients; energy efficient fibre) for automotive mats and carpeting, Avra fibre activewear (made entirely from recycled post-consumer PET fibres), EcoSure PET fibre for non-wovens in healthcare, filtration, automotive etc. have been introduced as more sustainable alternatives to purely synthetic or other harmful fibres used in the industrial applications of textiles. These innovative fibres provide the required properties specific to the purpose that they are being used in the industry while directing sustainable fibre demand in the technical textile industry.

The sustainable fibre market is projected to grow over $100 Billion by the year 2030, which is a possible consequence of the ever-evolving fashion and textiles industry, the ultimate concern, however, isn’t merely the growth of a specific sector in the industry, it is the replacement of synthetic and hazardous fibres with more environment-friendly alternatives, elimination of harmful materials and complete market domination by organic, purely natural and sustainable man-made regenerated and recycled fibres. The adoption of a closed-loop value chain and regulation of virgin fibre inputs in the industry is extremely crucial. The lack of credible certifications and regulations of quality standards, and lack of consumer awareness and trust is an issue in the widespread adoption of sustainable fibres. Championing adequate consumer education and incorporating transparency in the industry could wonderfully drive sustainable fibre demand.

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