Bananas are widely cultivated in Bangladesh for local consumption. It is made from banana stem, a waste product left over after harvesting the fruits. This makes it a uniquely sustainable material, as no additional resources are needed for its cultivation.

After the fruits have ripened and been harvested, the matured stems are cut down and collected manually from the banana garden. The fiber is extracted from the stem with an extractor machine. It is washed and dried in the sun for 6 hours. Once dry, it is combed by hand to make it finer.

In the spinning mill, the fiber is spun into yarn and is ready for dyeing and weaving. Lastly, the yarn is woven into a fabric using manual techniques and traditional warp beams and looms. As the fiber only makes up 2% of the stem, the leftover material (mainly water and stem skin) can be used to produce paper.

Harvesting pineapple leaves for fiber production is more challenging then harvesting banana fiber. Opposed to banana fiber, which can be harvested all year round, pineapple is only available during a short harvesting season from June to July. On top of that, pineapple does not grow in the region surrounding CHP's production facility and is therefore sourced from other parts of Bangladesh. Despite these challenges, the finer properties of pineapple fiber make it a project worth pursuing.

Several kilos of fiber have already been sent to Europe for research purposes. To make pineapple fabric, fiber is extracted from pineapple leaves, washed and sun-dried for several hours. It is then combed and spun into yarn. Using traditional warps and looms, the yarn is handwoven into a soft and sustainable fabric.