Entrepreneur Nelson Yang is reaching back into Taiwan's history to turn the humble banana plant into an unlikely sustainable textile. Taiwan is now the world's dominant producer of advanced semiconductors but the yellow fruit, still widely grown on the island, was once a source of patriotic pride.
Yang's Farm to Material, headquartered in the central Changhua rural belt, is turning banana fibre into textiles he hopes will one day supply global sneaker brands.
"Back in 2008, European (sneaker) brands told us that they were hoping to find a way for food and materials to be produced in parallel, meaning that food and materials are yielded from the same land," he told Reuters.
"So we've been working based on that concept. What we're doing now is making sure that all our material sources come from food or leftovers from agriculture or the food industry. We then transform those leftovers into usable materials."
Under Japanese colonial rule from 1895-1945, Taiwan was renowned for its fruit, especially pineapples and bananas, and in the 1960s, the island branded itself the "banana kingdom" to boost exports, now long since overtaken by the tech industry.
Yang's company takes the middle section of the banana plant, known as the pseudostem and normally abandoned in the field after harvest, then crushes and dries it to produce the fibres that can make clothing.
Some of the fibres are turned into yarn that can be blended with cotton for socks and can also be turned into vegan leather.
The business is still in its infancy with no orders from apparel companies.
"Banana fibre actually performs better than regular cotton in terms of water consumption, absorbency, and supply stability, making it highly promising for future applications," said Charlotte Chiang, director of the innovation and sustainable design department at the Taiwan Textile Federation.
"Banana fibre could become a new highlight for Taiwan in the field of biomass fibre in the textiles industry."
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 7th of January, covering the latest developments you need to k...
Iran has executed a man accused of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence service, the country’s judiciary reported on Wednesday, 7 January, amid...
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday (7 January), that significant progress has been made in restoring trust with China. He also rei...
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake has struck off the southern Philippines, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)...
Protests continued into another day in Iran, with crowds returning to the streets despite mounting pressure from the authorities. By scale and spread,...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 7th of January, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Iran has executed a man accused of spying for Israel’s Mossad intelligence service, the country’s judiciary reported on Wednesday, 7 January, amid an intensifying campaign against alleged foreign agents.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday (7 January), that significant progress has been made in restoring trust with China. He also reiterated that relations with Japan are equally important for Seoul’s diplomacy amid shifting regional dynamics.
Protests continued into another day in Iran, with crowds returning to the streets despite mounting pressure from the authorities. By scale and spread, the unrest has entered its most significant phase so far.
Germany’s foreign intelligence service secretly monitored the telephone communications of former U.S. President Barack Obama for several years, including calls made aboard Air Force One, according to an investigation by the German newspaper Die Zeit.
Israeli media report that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chaired a lengthy security meeting that reportedly focused on the country’s regional threats, including Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.
At the end of last year, U.S. President Donald Trump was reported to have raised the Azerbaijan–Armenia peace agenda during a conversation with Israel’s prime minister, warning that if peace were not achieved, Washington could raise tariffs on both countries by 100 percent.
President Ilham Aliyev said 2025 has politically closed the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, as a Trump-era reset in U.S. ties, new transport corridors and a push into AI, renewables and defence production reshape Azerbaijan’s priorities.
Dmitry Medvedev has warned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could face the same fate as Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, following what he described as a U.S. ‘abduction’ of the Venezuelan president.
The U.S. dollar has strengthened against major peers on Tuesday, while the euro fell following slower-than-expected inflation in Europe. Market movements were relatively subdued as investors focused on upcoming U.S. economic data.
Wall Street closed higher on Tuesday, boosted by optimism over artificial intelligence (AI) and a strong rally in Moderna shares, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average approaching a record high.
India’s largest oil refiner, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), has taken a significant step towards diversifying its crude oil supply by purchasing Colombian crude, from state oil company Ecopetrol, for the first time.
China has given the nod for car makers to sell Level 3 self-driving vehicles from as early as next year after it approved two electric sedans from Changan Auto and BAIC Motors.
Warner Bros Discovery’s board rejected Paramount Skydance’s $108.4 billion hostile bid on Wednesday (17 December), citing insufficient financing guarantees.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment