Dole Sunshine Company (DSC) has partnered with social enterprise Musa Fabric to turn banana waste into fibres of purpose through a partnership creating textiles, woven by inmates.
As part of the Dole Promise towards zero fruit loss and reduced landfills necessary for carbon neutrality, DSC and Musa Fabric are collaborating with Kasilak Foundation to train marginalised communities with new skills in processing for textile development for these fashion garments. A capsule collection debuted at New York Fashion Week in February 2022.
Partnership delivers circular and sustainable fashion alternatives
The collaboration achieves a more circular and sustainable process with the banana fibre - the fibre of purpose - for the maker, the consumer and the ultimate producer, our planet. Limiting 4.4 million pieces (200,000 metric tonnes) of banana stem waste from reaching landfills, can reduce approximately 258,720 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions, and instead create fashion products worth over 50M USD, benefiting the livelihoods of more than a hundred people.
Bags, clothing, and other fashion wear made from the Musa Fabric using DSC’s banana fibres also made their runway debut this New York Fashion Week.
On the partnership Christian Wiegele, President, Fresh Produce Group, Dole Sunshine Company, said: “Aside from working towards zero fruit loss by 2025, the Dole Promise also includes committing to creating shared value for all our stakeholders. Our collaboration with Musa Fabric allows us to not just reduce, but upcycle and repurpose banana waste, and to also create a sustainable source of income and employment for the local community while boosting the employability of the inmates at Davao Penal Colony after their release, making this move much more meaningful and purposeful.”
For more information: eco-business.com
