Bananatex®: Swiss Brand QWESTION's Fabric Made from Banana Fibers

QWESTION is a bag brand established in 2008, based in Zurich, Switzerland, and Austria. Using fibers from the Philippine banana tree, abaca, they developed and offer Bananatex® as an alternative to the synthetic materials currently dominating the bag industry. Currently, Bananatex® has spun off from QWESTION and provides materials to companies such as H&M. We interviewed Hannes Schoenegger, the co-founder and current CEO, about the development process and production methods of Bananatex®.

Relentless Pursuit of Natural Fibers 

"In Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Paris, about 80% of the bags you see on the streets are made from plastic. Only around 7-8% of all plastics get recycled. This means the majority of plastics end up in undesirable places like landfills and oceans. We were searching for a better way to prevent worsening this situation. For us, the better way was to use textiles based on natural fibers," says Schoenegger. Since its inception, QWESTION has been producing and selling bags made from functional and timeless plant-based materials.

Although the company has been releasing bag products made from natural fibers since it began, they were not satisfied with the available materials in the market and sought non-existent materials, exploring various options. When the brand started in 2008, the only natural fiber textile that aligned with their philosophy was cotton canvas, so they considered using organic cotton. However, as they couldn't find certified heavy canvas fabric that matched their design, they built their own supply chain and began offering products made from organic cotton in 2013.

However, they continued to search for alternative materials as organic cotton also had issues: it required a lot of water during cultivation, and the cotton fibers were too short for use in bags. In 2014, they created a supply chain within Europe by spinning organic hemp from Belgium in Italy and weaving it in Switzerland. While they managed to build the supply chain, Schoenegger recalls that many small companies with the necessary technology and know-how were shutting down, and they didn't find the required technology within Europe. So, they decided to search for alternative fibers mainly in Asia, where their bags were already being manufactured.

They found that banana fibers were not only strong and resilient, making them ideal for bags, but also allowed for a short supply chain primarily centered in Asia. Thus, they began developing Bananatex® with their development partners. "The abaca banana we use has been cultivated for centuries mainly in the Philippines and Indonesia, traditionally used for ropes and mattresses. However, because the banana fibers are very thick and long, we needed to develop thin threads to make the fabric suitable for bags. It took us three years to figure out how to create fine yarn from these strong fibers," they said.