Pineapple leaves vs environmentally-friendly clothes and accessories
Ananas Anam has developed an innovative, natural and sustainable non-woven textile called Piñatex made from pineapple leaf fibres. Piñatex has evolved from seven years of R&D to create a natural textile from waste plant fibres. Piñatex harnesses advanced technologies to create a totally sustainable high performance natural textile. While the initial development work leading to Piñatex originated in the Philippines, significant research & development is now being undertaken between the UK and Spain. Piñatex provides new additional income for farmers while creating a vibrant new industry for pineapple growing countries.
Piñatex fibres are the by-product of the pineapple harvest. No extra land, water, fertilizers or pesticides are required to produce them and No pineapple is harmed in the making of Piñatex!
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Manufacturing process
The fibres that make Piñatex™ come from pineapple leaves. The fibres are extracted from the leaves in a process called decortication, which is done on the plantation by the farming community.
Furthermore, the by-product of decortication is bio-mass, which can be further converted into organic fertilizer or bio-gas. Both the extraction of the fibers and the consequent bio-mass will bring added revenue stream to the farming communities. The fibres then undergo an industrial process to become a non-woven textile, which is the base of our material Piñatex™.
The final step in the making of Pinatex takes place at a textile finishing company in Spain, where our unique finishing process is done before being shipped all over the world.
Furthermore, the by-product of decortication is bio-mass, which can be further converted into organic fertilizer or bio-gas. Both the extraction of the fibers and the consequent bio-mass will bring added revenue stream to the farming communities. The fibres then undergo an industrial process to become a non-woven textile, which is the base of our material Piñatex™.
The final step in the making of Pinatex takes place at a textile finishing company in Spain, where our unique finishing process is done before being shipped all over the world.
Key Attributes
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
Piñatex™ ORIGINAL is strong, versatile, breathable, soft, light, flexible, and can be easily printed on, stitched and cut.
Piñatex™ ORIGINAL is strong, versatile, breathable, soft, light, flexible, and can be easily printed on, stitched and cut.
NATURAL & SUSTAINABLE
Piñatex™ is a by-product of the pineapple harvest, thus no extra water, fertilizers or pesticides are required to produce Piñatex.
Piñatex™ is a by-product of the pineapple harvest, thus no extra water, fertilizers or pesticides are required to produce Piñatex.
PATENTED
Piñatex™ involves a patented technology that protects both the process and the finished material. Piñatex™ is produced on 155cm width textile rolls.
Piñatex™ involves a patented technology that protects both the process and the finished material. Piñatex™ is produced on 155cm width textile rolls.
Piñatex™ is tested according to ISO international standards for:
- Seam rupture
- Tear & tensile strength
- Light & colour fastness
- Water spotting
- Flexing endurance
- Abrasion resistance
THE STORY OF PIÑATEX
Piñatex was created by Dr Carmen Hijosa. Carmen’s journey began in Spain, but her career has taken her across the globe, from Ireland to Germany, to the UK and The Philippines. She worked in both the design and manufacture of leather goods for many years before going to the Philippines to carry out further research into the development of products made from natural fibres.
A breakthrough came when she realized that she could make a non-woven textile, a fabric bonded together without knitting or weaving, from the long fibres found in pineapple leaves. The culmination of her work resulted in the creation of Piñatex, a unique natural and sustainable textile made from pineapple leaf fibres, a by-product from the pineapple harvest.
While you are reading these lines, Carmen Hijosa and her team are working in London. On the other side of the globe, the Filipino farmers are extracting the fibres from the pineapple leaves. The fibres are then sent to a textile finishing company in Spain where the transformation from a fiber mesh into Piñatex takes place.
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