Canopy calls for brands’ support as pilot champions straw for MMCFs
A report by non-profit Canopy suggests wheat straw could replace wood pulp in viscose and lyocell production, creating fabrics that meet brand performance and technical standards.
Project Latvus, a pilot testing wheat straw as fashion fibre, also suggests using straw could help cut air pollution caused by crop burning in India and creating new income opportunities for farming communities.
Canopy’s estimates suggest that more than 90 million tonnes of crop residue are burned annually in the country, representing a significant untapped resource.
It is calling on fashion brands to support the scale-up of manmade cellulosic fibres (MMCFs) that don’t rely on wood pulp, noting that pooled demand will help these materials achieve price parity and scale quickly.
Canopy’s founder Nicole Rycroft said: “By diversifying feedstocks beyond forests, we have a real opportunity to build a more resilient, circular and low-impact textile industry.”
The pilot included input from Fashion for Good, C&A, H&M Group and Reformation, Chempolis, TITK, Inovafil, Yee Chain, Shahi, Filpucci, traceability technology provider Textile Genesis and wheat straw supplier A2P (Agri to Power) Energy. It was supported by Laudes Foundation and built on Spinning Future Threads, an earlier report commissioned by Laudes, which found that agricultural waste could be feasibly sourced as a raw material for textiles.
