The Philippines is the second largest pineapple-producing country in the world, exporting almost three million tons annually. This multimillion dollar industry also produces tons of leaf waste.

While the Philippines has a tradition of using pineapple leaf fiber, such as in piña, one of the most iconic textiles used in Filipiñana, a new company believes that pineapple fiber textile can have applications beyond national dress.

Hiblatech Ventures repurposes pineapple leaf waste into “sustainable, high performance textiles” for “industrial, fashion, and experimental design use.”

“Every year, pineapple farming in the Philippines produces more than 2.6 million tons of leaf waste—most of which is burned, contributing to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions,” said Tina Sabarre, co-founder of Hiblatech. “By diverting biomass from open burning and replacing synthetics with natural fibers, we contribute to a lower-emission, circular textile economy.”

The company works with Matthew “Chuck” Lazaro of Asia Textile Mills Inc. to extract the fiber from pineapple leaves. “[We’re trying to] expand the relevance of piña fibers, not just on Barong Tagalogs, but across different industries,” Sabarre said. “It's a great fiber, and we really want to push this out into the world.”

The company works on a business to business model. “We want to work with interior designers, architects, fashion designers, even industrial… people who are willing to experiment with us, not just the end products, but actually even the raw material and mixing it with their materials.”

Hiblatech launched their brand through an exhibit in collaboration with 10 designers who used pineapple fabric in different applications. These includeYodel Pe’s (who also curated the exhibition) pineapple-inspired illustrations on napkins and placements; Chini Lichangco’s rechargeable table lamps fashioned from clay and finished with hand-stitched pineapple fiber; Dee Javier’s embroidered tote bag, brooches, and mix media artwork; Jema Gamer’s orchid-inspired apron and dress, and a binakol-inspired art piece. Other applications included Edward Sibunga’s sound panels and Selena Placino’s space divider.

The company works with cooperatives from North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Cavite, and Laguna. “We don't just buy. There's a lot of education, a lot of training that's done for them. The quality of their material starts from the fiber, so we need to educate the farmers in terms of how they extract, refine, clean, etc. So that's where it starts: educating the farmers, not just giving them money or added revenue, but really scaling them up. And then later on, their products are transformed into textile.”

Sabarre explained that even though the fabric is machine-woven, part of the process is still manual, hence, the premium price. “Our sustainability model extends beyond the environment. We work with a manufacturer that supports 10 farm cooperatives and four fabrication partners, directly supporting 700+ individuals and ensuring over 60 percent of production costs go toward fair labor and local development.”

Hiblatech is hoping to work with partners locally and overseas who understand and prioritize sustainability, design, and intelligent innovation. “Using natural fibers makes your material biodegradable, sustainable. So it's an intelligent innovation. It thinks not just of your profit, but also of the planet,” Sabarre said. “We’d really like to encourage people of the creative industry to come and experiment with us because we really want to present this to the world.”