Fashion’s next fiber frontier: US crop waste spun into sustainable textiles
North Carolina State University review maps out how soybean, wheat, and sugarcane residues could replace wood and oil-based fibers in tomorrow’s wardrobes.
image: North Carolina State University review maps out how soybean, wheat, and sugarcane residues could replace wood and oil-based fibers in tomorrow’s wardrobes.
Credit: Department of Forest Biomaterials, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
The same fields that feed the United States may soon clothe it. A comprehensive analysis released this month shows that five ubiquitous crop residues—soybean, wheat, rice, sorghum, and sugarcane waste—can be transformed into the dissolving pulp that powers the $15 billion market for man-made cellulose fibers (MMCFs) such as viscose and lyocell. With global fiber demand projected to rise 50 % by 2030, the study offers a roadmap for replacing petroleum-based polyester and water-intensive cotton without planting a single extra acre.
Drawing on more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and patents, the interdisciplinary team led by Ronalds Gonzalez of North Carolina State University evaluated every step from biomass chemistry to spinning performance. Conventional MMCF production relies on dissolving pulp that is 90–96 % pure cellulose, historically sourced from beech, eucalyptus, or cotton linters. The review demonstrates that comparable purity levels—above 92 % α-cellulose with less than 1 % ash—have already been achieved in the laboratory using crop residues treated with prehydrolysis kraft, soda-anthraquinone, or emerging SO₂-ethanol-water pulping. Hemp hurd and tobacco stalk delivered the highest cellulose content, while sugarcane bagasse and wheat straw offered the best balance of availability, low lignin, and minimal silica.
North America generates roughly 450 million metric tons of such residues annually; burning or decaying releases CO₂, particulates, and methane. Diverting just 10 % of soybean and wheat straw to new regional biorefineries could supply 1.5 million tons of dissolving pulp—enough to manufacture a tenth of the MMCFs currently consumed by U.S. apparel brands. “We are not asking farmers to grow fiber; we are asking them not to waste it,” Gonzalez told Textile Insight. The study cautions that feedstock seasonality, silica control, and transportation logistics must be solved, but notes that integrated facilities co-producing pulp, bioenergy, and soil amendments could tip the economic balance.
Environmental groups welcomed the findings. “Replacing virgin wood and fossil carbon with agricultural leftovers is exactly the innovation the fashion sector needs to meet its net-zero pledges,” said Annie Gilliam of the nonprofit Canopy. The review also spotlights emerging “fibrillated cellulose” routes that bypass harsh chemical dissolution, instead spinning nanofibril slurries directly into yarns with potentially lower energy and water footprints.
Large-scale trials remain scarce. The authors call for public-private consortia to fund pilot plants in the Midwest and Gulf Coast, paired with rigorous life-cycle analyses that compare new feedstocks against regional grid mixes and existing wood-pulp mills. Certification schemes such as ISCC PLUS will be required to verify deforestation-free, low-carbon supply chains before garments reach store shelves.
If realized, the shift could open a $3 billion domestic market for agricultural residues, cushion farmers against commodity price swings, and cut the climate impact of a T-shirt by up to 70 % compared with conventional polyester. The next step, the team concludes, is to move “from journal pages to spinning lines” before the fashion industry’s thirst for sustainable fiber outruns the planet’s capacity to deliver.