Pineapple fibre facility opens in Vietnam
Nextevo, a Singapore-based textile tech start-up, has announced the official opening of its first factory, located close to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, which will produce ‘ready-to-spin’ fibres made from pineapple leaves.
The “state-of-the-art facility” transforms pineapple leaf fibre (PALF) into ready-to-spin (RTS) fibre using an industrial scale mechanical process developed by Nextevo. The pineapple leaves are currently sourced from the Philippines, Indonesia, and East Africa, with new sources to come from Vietnam and India.
Founded in 2019 by Harold Koh, who is also CEO, Nextevo specialises in transforming agricultural waste and by-products into sustainable value-added applications for apparel, footwear, home textiles and automotive interiors. In addition to the new ready-to-spin pineapple fibre, the company offers blended yarns and fabrics that it says are “customisable for spinners, yarn producers, and brands, allowing flexibility across the industry, from raw materials to semi-finished textiles”.
“The compelling story and benefits of pineapple fibre will surely resonate with consumers and brands alike. We are excited to unveil this sustainable fibre to the textile industry, as we are able to produce it at scale in our own facility to serve our customers consistently,” says Mr Koh.
Nextevo’s other activities include converting coconut husk into coir fibre and cocopeat (for soil substrates). It has recently established two operations in Indonesia and Thailand.
For the latest on alternative natural fibres, see our feature here.
Photo by Avrielle Suleiman on Unsplash
