A new industry report has spotlighted a major innovation in sustainable textile production, revealing that wheat straw can successfully replace wood pulp in the production of viscose and lyocell fibres used widely across the fashion industry.
Published by Canopy, the report titled From Wheat Straw to Wardrobes: Fashioning a new fibre future presents findings from a pilot initiative that tested agricultural waste as a viable alternative feedstock for Man-Made Cellulosic Fibres (MMCFs).
Wheat straw as a scalable fibre alternative
The research confirms that wheat straw pulp can directly replace wood-derived pulp in viscose and lyocell production while meeting brand-level performance and technical requirements across multiple textile applications. This positions agricultural residue as a credible input for next-generation fibre systems.
Traditionally, MMCFs rely on wood pulp, contributing to large-scale deforestation pressures. The report notes that over 300 million trees are used annually for fibre production, raising concerns around biodiversity loss and carbon emissions.
Project Latvus and industry collaboration
The pilot project, named Project Latvus, brought together a cross-industry coalition including Fashion for Good, alongside global fashion brands such as C&A, H&M Group, and Reformation.
Supply chain and technology partners included Chempolis, TITK, Inovafil, Yee Chain, Shahi, Filpucci, DBL, and digital traceability provider Textile Genesis. The project also involved A2P Energy and was supported by Laudes Foundation.
The initiative builds on earlier research suggesting agricultural waste can be integrated into textile supply chains when supported by coordinated industry systems.
Environmental and economic impact potential
A key insight from the report is the dual environmental and social benefit of using wheat straw. In India alone, an estimated 90 million tonnes of crop residue are burned annually, contributing significantly to seasonal air pollution and elevated PM2.5 levels in northern regions.
Repurposing this waste into textile fibre feedstock could reduce air pollution, decrease pressure on forests, and generate additional income streams for farming communities.
India’s strategic opportunity
The report highlights India’s strong potential to become a leader in next-generation MMCF production due to its large agricultural residue base and growing textile manufacturing ecosystem. This could position the country as a key hub for circular fibre innovation and sustainable supply chain development.
Industry call to action
Canopy is urging fashion brands to collectively scale demand for non-wood MMCFs to accelerate commercialisation. According to the organisation, pooled industry demand is essential to achieving price parity and scaling production capacity more rapidly.
As stated by Nicole Rycroft, Founder and Executive Director of Canopy, “Project Latvus shows that the future of fibre is already here. While continued scale-up is needed to optimize efficiency and close the price difference, the direction is clear — Next Gen MMCFs are ready for the next stage of commercial adoption.”
