The banana plant bears fruit only once in its lifetime. After harvesting, huge amounts of banana pseudo-stems are dumped as waste causing environmental hazards. The extraction of banana fibres from the pseudo-stem is not a common practice. despite banana fibres being fully biodegradable, recyclable and environmentally friendly.
Organic products made from banana fibres are thus becoming increasingly popular worldwide and there is a huge growth potential in several sectors, such as apparel and homeware where waste banana stem can be used to produce sustainable products that have high commercial value.
Among its main applications:
- Eco-friendly substitute in the textile industry in place of synthetic fibres
- Provider of alternative livelihood to rural communities through the generation of employment in the fibre producing and processing industry
- Completely biodegradable with no toxic effects on the planet and its people
- Suitable for production of value-added products, enhancing the profitability of banana farming
- Deforestation minimiser due to various wood/cellulose processing industries
