PH natural fibers can soon be a big source of sustainable materials for international brands
in Barcelona, Spain
Philippine pineapple fibers are fast becoming a source of substitute leather used by fashion and accessories brands in Europe and across the world.
Piñatex, the substitute leather made from the fiber of pineapple leaves produced by the company Ananas Anam, is now used by more than 200 global lifestyle brands in clothing, accessories, shoes, and even furniture upholstery. Some of these brands include Nike, Hugo Boss, Paul Smith, Gucci, Svala, Laura Strambi, Drew Veloric, NAE Vegan, Altiir, Baula, Po-Zu, Maravillas´ bags, and Votch.
One of the biggest consumers of Piñatex is Nike. The company has been actively recycling yarns, textiles, and other materials in pursuit of zero carbon and zero waste. In 2021, Nike introduced its ¨Happy Pineapple¨ series featuring the iconic Nike sneakers using Piñatex. The ¨Happy Pineapple¨ series, which includes Air Max 95 NRG, Air Max 90 LXX, Air Force 1, and Air Zoom shoes, is part of the company´s “Move to Zero” campaign.
With the growing trend toward sustainability, zero waste, and environmentalism, DOLE Sunshine Company, through DOLE Philippines, partnered with Ananas Anam to upcycle pineapple wastes. This is in line with DOLE´s goal of achieving zero waste from its farms by 2025.
The DOLE-Ananas Anam partnership exploring sustainability was recognized this year when they won the Grand Prix award in Creative Business Transformation category at the Cannes Lions Awards besting several big companies such as Unilever, Proctor & Gamble, Deloitte, and Budweiser, among others.
Piñatex, the substitute leather made from the fiber of pineapple leaves, is now used by more than 200 global lifestyle brands in clothing, accessories, shoes, and even furniture upholstery.
The increasing trend toward the use of natural materials and sustainability results in the growing demand for sources of natural materials, including substitute leather. With this development, the people behind Ananas Anam are exploring ways to cope with the demand and, at the same time, discover other applications for pineapple fiber like paper and engineering composite, gain more knowledge on how to improve the pineapple fiber, and apply the same process on other Philippine natural fibers such as banana and abaca.
According to Dr. Carmen Hijosa, founder of Ananas Anam Ltd., and Chuck Lazaro, CEO of Ananas Anam Philippines, the potential is there and the goal of the company is to have the most value added from Philippine natural fibers.
The two are currently exploring collaboration projects between the Philippines and Catalonia, Spain, the latter having one of the best textile technologies in the world, to further transform the Philippine pineapple fibers and, eventually, other natural fibers such as abaca and banana, to create new opportunities for employment and increase the number of beneficiaries while promoting the Philippine ancient natural fibers and contribute to the current thrust toward sustainability and circular economy.
Given that top fashion brands are turning more and more to sustainable materials, this is an opportune time to explore ways on how innovation and textile technology can transform Philippine natural fibers into more varied and sustainable products. Doing so will help create a positive socioeconomic impact on Philippine farmers, preserve Philippine ancient traditions, contribute to the economy, and help reduce environmental footprints.
barcelonapcg.dfa.gov.ph