Transforming abundant banana pseudo-stem biomass into industrial-grade textile yarn using conventional spinning systems, creating a sustainable alternative to resource-intensive fibres.
Date:
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Location:
Uganda, India, China, Indonesia, Ecuador, the Philippines, and Nigeria
Partners:
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Research Area:
Decarbonizing Industry & Circular Economy
Sustainable Development Goals:
08 - Decent Work and Economic Growth, 09 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production, 13 - Climate Action
From Banana Waste to Climate-Smart Textile Yarn
The Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI) has developed a waste-to-textile solution that transforms banana pseudo-stem biomass into industrial-grade textile yarn. Uganda produces approximately 10 million tonnes of banana pseudo-stem biomass annually, much of which is left to decompose on farms. At the same time, the global textile industry remains heavily dependent on resource-intensive cotton and fossil-fuel-based synthetic fibres. Cotton production can require 9,000–11,000 litres of water per kilogram of lint, while synthetic fibres contribute to fossil-fuel demand and microplastic pollution.
Banana fibre offers a promising alternative because it is naturally cellulosic, strong, lightweight, and biodegradable. However, raw banana fibre is typically coarse and stiff, making it difficult to process on conventional textile machinery. UIRI’s innovation addresses this barrier by mechanically extracting fibres from local banana varieties, chemically softening and “cottonising” them, modifying the fibres for compatibility with standard spinning systems, and then spinning them into yarn.
Industrial Validation and Circular Economy Benefits
Laboratory validation has confirmed the technical feasibility of the cottonised banana fibre and the resulting yarn. Yarn quality was assessed against key industrial performance parameters, including tenacity, evenness, imperfections, elongation, and other related quality metrics, with results demonstrating comparability to conventional textile fibres.
A major advantage of the solution is that the banana fibre can be processed using existing cotton spinning infrastructure, avoiding costly machinery retrofits and significantly lowering the capital barrier for textile manufacturers. The approach transforms an abundant agricultural residue into a value-added industrial material while reducing reliance on water-intensive cotton and petroleum-based synthetic fibres. It also creates potential opportunities for rural livelihoods and the development of climate-resilient agricultural and textile value chains.
Pilot Production and Global Replication
The solution is currently at the lab validation stage, with ongoing ring-spinning trials aimed at producing finer yarn counts. Uganda’s large and continuous banana production provides a reliable source of raw material, while the use of existing spinning systems makes the technology suitable for integration into established textile manufacturing operations.
The model can be transferred to other major banana-producing regions, including India, China, Indonesia, Ecuador, the Philippines, and Nigeria. UIRI is seeking textile manufacturers and other partners for pilot and commercial-scale production, investors to support the establishment of a demonstration plant at UIRI, and policy support for developing a waste-to-textile value chain. Existing collaboration includes banana farmers and the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), with Ugandan textile manufacturers expected to play a key role in the next stage of implementation.
