Alfie Germano, CEO and Managing Director
Nanollose
Alfie Germano, CEO and Managing Director
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About Sustaining Voices

Sourcing Journal’s Sustaining Voices celebrates the efforts the apparel industry is making toward securing a more environmentally responsible future through creative innovations, scalable solutions and forward-thinking initiatives that are spinning intent into action.

Overview

Nanollose has cracked the code of tree-free viscose using bacteria and discarded coconut waste.

Deep Dive

First came the world’s first tree-free viscose-rayon fiber. Then, a year later, the world’s first tree-free rayon-viscose garment. Both are the results of efforts by Nanollose, an Australian biotech firm whose Nullarbor fiber—the term comes from the Latin phrase nullus arbor, meaning, “no trees”—is derived, in part, from discarded coconut waste from Indonesia.

Its method of extracting cellulose from its feedstock is equally unconventional. In lieu of the typical raft of chemicals, Nanollose employs the bacteria Acetobacter xylinum to convert sugars in coconut waste into microbial cellulose, which it then spins into fiber using a patented process that uses “very little” land, water or energy and can take as little as 10 days.

The creation of a wearable garment, which it knit using 3-D technology, marked a significant milestone for the company because it proved Nullarbor’s viability as an alternative to conventional rayon-viscose. “This validated our waste-to-clothing technology,” said Alfie Germano, CEO and managing director of Nanollose. Since all Nullarbor products are 100 percent biodegradable and created from liquid waste, the fibers can be “easily retrofitted into today’s textile and clothing production processes,” he added.

The technology also promises some respite for the world’s ancient and endangered forests. Germano estimates that 150 million trees are felled every year to make cellulose-based fibers for clothing and textiles. “That number is set to double in the next decade,” he said. “With our breakthrough products, manufacturers now have an alternative eco-friendly fiber option available, which can be used in the same way as other materials to make clothing and textiles but with a dramatically reduced environmental footprint.”

Nanollose is working with its suppliers to secure between one to five tons of coconut waste per month so it can churn out commercial quantities of Nullarbor for future manufacturing partners, including high-end clothing brands.

But coconuts are only the beginning. “As the company scales production, we plan to access other sources of liquid waste from the food and beverage industries,” Germano said.


In what areas has the fashion industry made the biggest strides in sustainability in the last five years?

"There are many trailblazing fashion brands that are putting sustainability at the center of their DNA. Groups like Stella McCartney are involving themselves deeper in their supply chains and searching for viable alternatives to decrease their reliance on environmentally burdensome raw materials. This urgency for cleaner alternatives recently saw super-users like H&M commit to using 100 percent sustainably sourced materials by 2030, along with other fantastic initiatives from many global brands.

We applaud the entire textile community for beginning to recognize that the industry needs a holistic re-look and re-haul. Many have come a long way in the past five years, but this momentum needs to continue rapidly with super-users because they have the scale to positively impact and influence behavior."


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