H&M x Agraloop BioFibre

A look from H&M’s S/S 21 collection featuring Agraloop BioFibre / Source: H&M

Agraloop BioFibreAsiaCottonEuropeHempLyocellNorth AmericaTextiles

4 MINUTE READ

Jessica Harman

WHAT WE SAY:

H&M’s use of the Agraloop BioFibre over the past few years follows an encouraging trajectory: from competition winner to concept, into retail via a limited edition Conscious Exclusive, to finally hitting the brand’s main collections.

However, this is where the real questions start – how viable is the material at mass scale, both in terms of sourcing, production and creating products that customers actually prefer to synthetics or higher impact alternatives? Is this making any dent on the vast quantities of plastic textiles H&M produce?

KEY FACTS:

H&M has used Agraloop BioFibre in a number of its collections, since selecting it as a winner of its Global Change awards in 2019.
The fibre was first used commercially in its Conscious Exclusive, Wear the Waste A/W 20 collection and was also featured in its main Spring 21 collection.
Agraloop BioFibre is a bio-based fibre developed by material innovation company Circular Systems, created using agricultural waste, such as oilseed Hemp, banana and flax.
According to Circular Systems, the process of creating the fibre uses 99% less water than conventional cotton and produces 47% less CO2 than conventional hemp.
Products featuring the hemp-based BioFibre include: a jacket and brooch priced at USD 150, a twill shirt jacket priced at USD 80 and a sleeveless hoodie priced at USD 15.

H&M S/S 21 collection using Agraloop BioFibre / Source: Circular Systems

Agraloop BioFibre can be blended with a number of different materials / Source: Circular Systems

DIVE DEEPER:

At present, the annual amount of agricultural waste from sources, such as banana, pineapple, rice and hemp is approximately 250 million tons, 2.5 times the global fibre demand. The majority of it is being burnt or left to rot, making it a viable resource for the textile industry. This is a huge opportunity for repurposing but the devil is always in the detail of the production process, with plastics sneaking in as coatings, binders and dyes.
H&M’s inclusion of Agraloop BioFibre is part of the brand’s plan to increase its usage of sustainable fibres. The group reported that in 2021, 80% of its materials were recycled or sustainably sourced, with its target for this to be 100% by 2030.
H&M’s Spring collection used BioFibre blended with a number of different materials. For example, the jacket is made with 42% hemp BioFibre, 31% organic Cotton and 27% Tencel Lyocell; the hoodie is 58% organic cotton, 31% recycled cotton and just 11% Agraloop BioFibre.
In terms of scale, Circular Systems has reported that while the fibre is not yet at the stage where it can compete on price with cotton or polyester, it is competitive with traditional bast fibres, such as hemp or linen.
Agraloop BioFibre was first used in a dress created by & Other Stories, worn by Bandana Tewari at the 2019 Global Change Awards.

"We seek to help our industry begin to decouple from cotton as the world’s dominant natural fibre resource."

Isaac Nichelson - CEO, Circular Systems - as quoted in Fashion Network

Key Design Considerations:

How can you best sell Biofibres to consumers?

Despite being the product with the lowest percentage of Biofibre (just 11%), a number of the reviews of H&M’s Biofibre hoodie raise questions as to the material’s finish: "Feels like the rough bags rice comes in"..."Kind of a scratchy texture"..."Not crazy about the material"..."Scratchy and uncomfortable." You should consider whether your customers are willing to embrace a more natural-feeling fibre, or alternatively work with Circular Systems to explore BioFibres from alternative crops and/or blends, which may have a softer finish. We believe others are doing a better job - check out Natural Fiber Welding’s Clarus and Mirum for example.

Where is the cotton sourced from?

All the finished products featuring Agraloop BioFibre are part of a blended fabric featuring cotton The hoodie and the twill jacket are made in China. While H&M reports that 100% of its cotton is sourced from "sustainable sources," it has faced accusations of supporting forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. While the brand has suspended purchasing cotton from the region, it is important for any designer to be aware of similar supply chain risks.

What are the impacts within and around your new fibre’s supply chain?

Similar to the point above, while using agricultural waste as a resource for new fibres does, in theory, offer a sustainable option, there needs to be clarity on the processes and sourcing of these fibres. Circular Systems makes some robust claims around Agraloop’s energy and chemical usage, its impact on farming methods and the wider social impact of capturing value from waste. However, you should also review its LCAs and confirm whether they are representative of your specific waste feedstock and sourcing location.

Changing more than just materials

It was reported in 2018 that H&M had USD 4.3 billion worth of unsold stock in warehouses. Aside from highlighting the underlying issues with fast fashion, this huge number also brings about the question as to whether H&M should be focusing on reducing this deadstock, rather than investing energy and resources into new fibre technologies.