What materials does the fashion of tomorrow? Innovative, sustainable materials have the potential to fundamentally change the way we produce and consume clothing. After all, the choice of material is crucial for the sustainability factor of a garment. The report shows "Fashion on Climate" by the management consultancy McKinsey that 38% of the emissions in the fashion industry are caused by fibre production alone and a further 29% by spinning yarn and producing textiles. These figures make it clear: A sustainable Transformation of the fashion industry must start with the materials used. Fortunately, there are promising approaches. Various scientific and economic players are already working feverishly on developing environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional fibers.
From imitation leather made from olives to faux fur made from nettles - the range of innovations is wide. But the path from laboratory development to mass-market product is often long and rocky. Below we take a detailed look at some of the most promising sustainable material innovations and highlight their properties and potential. We also show the challenges facing the manufacturers of ecological materials.
Source & Copyright by Ganni
Promising approaches: From plant fibers to recycled textiles
The search for sustainable alternatives to conventional textile fibers has led to a number of innovations in recent years. Among other things, these new materials promise a significant reduction in the ecological footprint:
- Savian by BioFluff: A fur substitute made from natural plant fibres such as nettle, hemp and flax, of which around 50% can come from agricultural waste streams.
- Oleatex: A leather alternative made from olives.
- Circulose: An innovative raw material made from recycled cotton textiles that can be used to produce new viscose or lyocell fibers.
- Mirum: A plastic-free alternative to leather made from natural fibers, vegetable oils and minerals that is completely biodegradable.
- Ecovero: A more sustainable viscose variant with a 50% lower ecological footprint compared to conventional viscose.
- Pinatex: This innovative leather alternative is made from pineapple leaf fibers, a byproduct of the pineapple harvest.
- Mycelium: Fungal mycelia are used to produce this leather-like material.
- InResST: A novel material made entirely from recycled nylon made from ghost nets used in deep-sea fishing to pollute the oceans.
Fashion brands as pioneers for sustainable material innovations
Innovative brands are driving change towards new, ecological textiles. For example, Stella McCartney one of the brands that started early textile innovations work. At last year’s COP28, the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, the label even launched a "Sustainable Market" to present sustainable material innovations. These included algae-based yarn from Keel Labs and the plastic-free synthetic leather alternative Mirum.
The Danish label is also a pioneer in the field of sustainable material innovations GanniAs part of its "Fabrics of the Future" initiative, the brand is actively committed to researching, developing and integrating innovative and environmentally friendly textiles into production. The aim is to find alternatives to conventional fabrics that are not only ecological, but also meet the brand's high quality standards. Ganni is gradually integrating the innovative materials into its collections. To this end, both small capsule collections and individual pieces in larger lines are made with the new fabrics.
Source & Copyright by Ganni
New talents and creative textiles
Promoting young designers and training them in the use of sustainable material innovations is also part of Ganni’s commitment. This year, the brand showed its Copenhagen Fashion Week instead of a fashion show, the "Future, Talent, Fabrics" exhibition. The exhibition presented the creations of young Danish talents, made from sustainable materials, all of which come from Ganni's "Fabrics of the Future" initiative. The following talents have shown that the fabrics of the future are not only ecological, but also open up new creative opportunities:
- The Danish designer Nicklas Skovgaard created a coat with matching leggings and hat made of Savian by BioFluff, Oleatex and Circulose for the exhibition under the name “Lecia Coat”.
- The Copenhagen designer Alectra Rothschild showed under the title “A Phone Call With Trixie” – a corset and torn denim trousers made of Oleatex and Circulose.
- Amalie Røge Hove, founder of the knitting label A. ROEGE HOVE, presented “ARH Look 01” made of InResST recycled nylon, Circulose and recycled wool yarn from Gannis Omega spinning mill, where yarn remnants from the in-house collections are used.
- textile designer Sarah Brunnhuber made her mini collection called “Stem Elastic, 100% Wool, Handwoven Edition” from leftover wool yarn, developed with the Berlin studio HILO, which uses innovative zero-waste weaving techniques.
- Jens Ole Árnason, designer and textile artist from Copenhagen, created “GreenFutureXSculpture”: a sculptural work made from embroidered and oil-coated leftover fabrics from Ganni.
- The visual artist Sahar Jamili showed the sculpture “Trapped, 2024” – an aluminum cage filled with textile waste from Ganni. In doing so, she made a visual statement against overconsumption in the fashion world.
- Sisse Bjerre, a graduate of the Swedish School of Textiles, presented her innovative work “Paper Land” made of circuluse and papier-mâché.
Source & Copyright by Ganni
discrepancy between sustainability goals and market reality
The ecological spirit among designers and brands seems to be great, but manufacturers are increasingly struggling with problems. This is illustrated by the example of the company Lenzing The Austrian company has a long tradition in the production of wood fibers and has developed from a pure viscose producer to a pioneer for sustainable cellulose fibers in recent decades. The most well-known innovations include:
- tencel/lyocell: Resource-efficient fibers based on sustainably sourced wood
- Ecovero: A more sustainable viscose variant with 50% lower ecological footprint than conventional viscose
- Refibre: A technology for producing Lyocell and Ecovero fibers using recycled cotton waste
But the pioneering spirit has hardly been rewarded so far. Due to supply bottlenecks and problems with demand, Lenzing had to temporarily pause production of Refibra Lyocell. The Californian company Bolt Threads also stopped production of its mycelium-based leather alternative Mylo last year, although brands such as Stella McCartney, Adidas and Ganni used the material in their collections. The bankruptcy of the Swedish company Re:NewCell in the spring of this year shows how big the crisis is. The company had previously converted tons of cotton waste from Germany, Sweden and Switzerland into the raw material Circulose, which in turn could be used to make viscose and lyocell. Even H&M held a ten percent stake in Re:NewCell and offered products made of Circulose in its range. But the material could not hold its own in the competition. After all, it was around 50 percent more expensive than conventional viscose.
Source & Copyright by Lenzing
Sustainable material innovations in the tension between environmental awareness and economic considerations.
Many fashion brands like to emphasize their commitment to sustainability, but the reality is often different. There is a clear discrepancy between the sustainability promises made to the public and the actual production and purchasing behavior. Most brands are still afraid of the financial risk that comes with switching to innovative materials Instead, they limit their use to small capsule collections, while inexpensive conventional materials continue to dominate in the mass market.
Consumers also do not seem to be ready to dig deeper into their wallets to protect our planet. Evidence of this is provided by the Kantar's Sustainability Sector IndexAccording to the study, there is a clear discrepancy between attitudes and purchasing decisions of consumers. This gap, known as the "value-action gap," describes the contradiction between personal values and actual actions. While every second respondent is fundamentally willing to purchase products from sustainable brands, actual purchasing behavior lags far behind these intentions. It is particularly striking that almost three quarters (73%) of participants are critical of the supposedly higher prices of sustainable products. This discrepancy presents fashion brands with a dilemma: Should they invest in more expensive sustainable materials when it is unclear whether customers will honor this? Creative solutions and better scalability of textile innovations are needed here to reconcile sustainability and affordability.
Conclusion: We hold the key to greater sustainability
Sustainable material innovations have the potential to revolutionize the fashion industry and significantly reduce the ecological footprint of our clothing. From plant-based faux fur alternatives to recycled materials - the innovations are already there and they give designers and consumers the opportunity to make more conscious decisions. But in order to get these materials out of the niche and make them into everyday alternatives, a rethink is necessary on the part of fashion brands and consumers. The implementation of a more sustainable fashion industry is not due to the technical possibilities. Rather, it is now a matter of creating the right framework conditions to make textile innovations economically attractive for all parties.
