Banana Trunks Left Over Are Becoming Raw Material For Clothing And Paper

In banana-growing regions, the thick trunks that remain after harvest have long been treated as a nuisance. Farmers cut them down and leave them to rot or clear them away as waste. Now those same banana pseudostems are being gathered, processed and sold as a new industrial raw material for textiles, paper and bio-based products.

The shift is tied to a basic fact of banana farming. Only a small portion of the plant ends up as food, while the rest becomes biomass. In some systems, residue from a single hectare can reach around 220 tons. Across producer countries such as Brazil, the combined waste runs into tens of millions of tons each year, creating both a disposal problem and an untapped resource.

Inside those trunks are long cellulosic fibers known for their strength. Tests show they can exceed the tensile performance of traditional natural fibers like jute and sisal. That strength has attracted manufacturers looking for alternatives to petroleum-based materials or more land-intensive crops.

For years, banana fiber stayed on the margins, appearing mostly in craft projects. The current change is happening because companies are building proper supply chains. Industrial programs in Brazil, highlighted by FIESC and developed at the SENAI Institute of Textile Technology, Apparel and Design, have shown the material can be standardized for large-scale use. One initiative, Banana Têxtil, produced woven fabric from banana stalk fiber that reached the final stage of the BRICS Solutions Awards.

The process begins close to farms, where fresh stems are sorted for size and condition. Because they are heavy and water-rich, transporting them long distances would undermine the economics. The core step is mechanical extraction, or decortication, where rollers and blades separate fibrous strands from pulp without using harsh chemicals.

After extraction, fibers are washed to remove residues and improve texture, then dried under controlled conditions to prevent mold and stabilize quality. Processing lines then open and align the fibers so they can be spun into yarn, formed into nonwovens or used in composite materials. Quality checks track length, moisture, impurities and strength so the material behaves consistently in textile mills or paper plants.

Most commercial attention is on clothing and home textiles, often blending banana fiber with cotton. Paper and packaging are also emerging uses. Trials using thermomechanically extracted fiber mixed with natural binders have produced molded fruit trays that perform as well as or better than recycled paper pulp in several mechanical tests, though they absorb more water.

The rest of the plant is not wasted. Pulp and sap from the extraction line can be turned into compost, fertilizers or even biogas. Some trials show the residue can support organic liquid fertilizers that reduce dependence on synthetic inputs.

Despite the progress, challenges remain. Logistics, farmer training and water management in washing processes still need refinement before the system can scale widely. Yet the direction is clear. Instead of being burned or discarded, banana trunks are starting to enter a circular industrial chain that turns agricultural leftovers into usable materials.

Source: Packaging Technology and Science.