Agraloop BioFibre

Image of Agraloop fibre feedstock / Source: Circular Systems Instagram Account

Agraloop BioFibreAnti-MicrobialAsiaBagasseBreathableCottonEuropeHempLow-CarbonNorth AmericaRecyclableRegenerativeStrongTextilesUpcycled

WHAT WE SAY:

Using materials that are regenerative, not just renewable, is the ultimate goal. Regenerative materials give back more than they take from nature.

Circular Systems’ Agraloop process turns a huge problem – the 250 million tonnes of agricultural waste that is commonly burned – into an even bigger opportunity: valuable fibre products for the fashion industry. Having proven its commercial viability over the past two years, its Agraloop BioFibre is now ready to scale, and we are especially intrigued by its vision for distributed local production hubs which could transform the economics for millions of agricultural communities globally.

Agraloop BioFibre

WHAT IS AGRALOOP BIOFIBRE?

BioFibre is a bio-based fibre that is created from a wide range of agricultural waste, including Hemp, oilseed flax, corn and banana. The company claims that its bast leaf fibres are stronger than Cotton, as well as having inherent antimicrobial and thermodynamic properties.
Circular Systems reports that the Agraloop process which produces its BioFibre uses 99% less water than conventional cotton and produces 54% less CO2 than conventional hemp.
The process also offers additional wider social and environmental benefits, including higher incomes for farmers, reducing air pollution from burning crop waste, generating surplus energy to power the local area and producing positive effluents that regenerate the soil.
The Agraloop BioFibre was first used commercially by H&M in its Conscious Exclusive ‘Wear the Waste’ A/W 20 collection, and then at greater scale in the brand’s main Spring 21 collection. Green marketing? Yes. This is a tiny percentage of H&M's offering and we need to see serious scale up.

KEY PROPERTIES:

Anti-Microbial
Breathable
Low-Carbon
Recyclable
Regenerative
Strong
Upcycled

INDUSTRY:

Textiles

AVAILABILITY:

Commercially Available

DIVE DEEPER:

Circular Systems’ BioFibre is created from the stems and leaves found in agricultural waste. Via the company’s Agraloop process, the input waste is cleaned, separated and processed mechanically, before being turned into a fibre via the waterless DryRefined or the water-based Refined+ processes.
Circular Systems sells the fibre as it is, or as a yarn or fabric. The yarn can be produced from 100% Agraloop or combined with other natural fibres like recycled and organic cotton or Lyocell. Available BioFibres currently include CBD hemp, oilseed hemp and oilseed flax, although the company mentions rice straw, banana tree and cane Bagasse as other potential agricultural waste inputs.
The waste from six crops alone (CBD hemp, rice straw, banana tree, cane bagasse, oilseed flax and pineapple leaves) represents 250 million tonnes, more than the current total global fibre demand.
With the legalisation of cannabis in many US states, a growing market has resulted in higher levels of hemp agricultural waste. The global CBD and hemp market is expected to grow to USD 16.75 billion by 2030. Circular Systems is hoping that its Agraloop process could transform the increased waste into valuable and regenerative new fibre products.
In January 2020, Circular Systems opened its Agraloop pilot facility in Belgium, creating a European outpost for the LA-based company.
In December 2021, the company announced a partnership with Pakistan-based Nishat Mills to increase production capacity of its Agraloop BioFibre yarns, although no details were given as to the expected output volumes.
The company is in the process of developing a Crop Residue Standard, in partnership with Textile Exchange, that will be used for its Agraloop products.
The company has reported that while the fibre is not yet at the scale where it can compete on price with cotton or polyester, it is competitive with traditional bast fibres such as hemp and linen.
The company’s business model includes licensing its Agraloop production BioRefinery technology to local partners, enabling people to capture financial, social and environmental value from their local agricultural waste.
In February 2022, Circular Systems joined Fashion for Good’s ‘Untapped Agricultural Waste Project’ to explore potential opportunities for its Agraloop process with the project’s corporate partners Adidas, Bestseller, Vivobarefoot and Birla Cellulose.

Image showing ingredients and final fabric of Agraloop BioFibre / Source: Circular Systems

Image of Agraloop fibre feedstock / Source: Circular Systems Instagram Account

KEY FACTS:

250mn tns

of agricultural waste is commonly burned

99%

less water is used in the production process than conventional cotton

$16.75bn

Projected value of the global CBD and hemp market in 2030

Key Questions to Ask:

What are the fibres’ end-of-life and are any petrochemicals or plastics added by others in the final product?

Circular Systems’ various BioFibres are made up of all-natural ingredients (typically the bast fibres blended with organic cotton), meaning they should not have any negative environmental impacts. However, it is important to understand whether any dyeing treatments or finishings will impact the final garments’ end-of-life treatment and true plastic-free status.

True circularity is about being more than just zero impact, but creating regenerative, positive impact systems.

The Agraloop process certainly looks compelling – stopping the burning of agricultural waste, and generating higher incomes for farmers; sharing surplus power with local communities; producing effluent that will nourish and regenerate the soil. Of course, this all needs to be tested in reality. Will the model scale to thousands of decentralised locations? Will local communities be able to afford to license the technologies? Will they be able to maintain the hardware? How will these localised supply chains be managed? Will mainstream consumers want BioFibre-based garments?

What new product stories could new agricultural systems enable you to tell?

Previously, bast fibres such as hemp have remained resolutely niche. Circular Systems’ BioFibre is aiming to be a mass-market fibre that substitutes for cotton and polyester. But its sourcing will unlock very different supply chains: as well as banana waste in the Global South, the company refers to sourcing waste from medicinal hemp production in the Global North. This diversity of feedstocks will create huge opportunities for brands to tell very different supply chain stories.

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