Plant-based fibers are moving beyond the margins of sustainability conversations and into broader industrial planning, though Fibral’s new report makes clear the sector is still far from mature.
In its “Alternative Plant Fibre Landscape Analysis: Between Tradition and Innovation” report, the alliance describes a market that remains fragmented, under-documented and constrained by limited infrastructure even as interest rises across textiles, construction, automotive and other manufacturing sectors.
According to Fibral, global production of plant fibers excluding cotton reached 5.9 million metric tons in 2023, representing a market worth about $3.8 billion.
The broader global fiber market is substantially larger at 124 million metric tons annually and is still dominated by synthetic fibers and cotton.
Fibral launched in 2022 as interest in alternative plant fibers began expanding across multiple industries.
The alliance grew out of an informal coalition that included organizations tied to Ananas Anam, Bananatex and Regenerate Fashion. It now counts more than 150 organizations and individuals across 25 countries.
Its goal is less about promoting individual fibers than building the conditions needed for broader adoption. According to the report, the alliance aims to reduce fragmentation across plant-fiber supply chains while improving transparency, strengthening market data and helping de-risk investment in the sector.
The report itself spans 36 plant fibers, excluding cotton, and examines cultivation, extraction and processing activities across applications including textiles and fashion, automotive, construction and pulp and paper. Fibral says the project is intended to establish a baseline for future market analysis while also clarifying differences between naturally extracted fibers, man-made cellulosics and biosynthetics.
Despite its relatively small size, the sector has continued to grow.
According to the report, global plant-fiber production increased from 4.9 million metric tons in 2005 to 5.9 million metric tons in 2023. Fibral projects production could approach 8 million metric tons by 2035 under stronger investment and regulatory conditions.
The report notes that growth has also been uneven in recent years, tempered by inflation, geopolitical instability and climate-related pressure on crop yields and fiber quality.
“Markets do not shift on potential alone,” the report states. “Trade governance, investment flows and procurement decisions require credible evidence, transparency and a coordinated industry voice.”
The largest fiber categories continue to dominate the market. Jute, kenaf and allied fibers account for roughly 3 million metric tons annually, while coir production has remained relatively stable at 1 million metric tons. Hemp has emerged as one of the category’s strongest growth stories, more than doubling over the period studied, while flax production has also increased steadily. Ramie, by contrast, has declined sharply.
At the same time, smaller categories such as banana and pineapple leaf fibers are beginning to attract greater research and commercialization interest. Fibral identified 51 banana fiber producers and 32 pineapple fiber producers globally, though the report notes that many small-scale and informal operations likely remain undocumented.
The economics behind the sector are equally uneven. Fibral estimates that approximately 11.9 million households worldwide are involved in plant-fiber production, most of them smallholder producers in the Global South. But returns vary widely depending on crop type, geography and market access. According to the report, raw producer prices range from roughly 10 cents per kilogram for coir to $7 to $10 per kilogram for pineapple leaf fiber, with banana and plantain fiber ranging from $2.40 to $6.50 per kilogram.
Fibral argues that those market dynamics highlight the need for stronger industrial coordination across the category.
The report frames plant fibers as a broader industrial materials category with applications spanning insulation, packaging, filtration, composites and consumer goods in addition to apparel.
Textiles remain one of the most difficult markets to scale into, however. Many alternative plant fibers are shorter, coarser and less elastic than cotton or wool, complicating processing on conventional machinery. The report identifies quality consistency, machinery compatibility, supply reliability and cost competitiveness as major barriers to wider adoption. Producers are increasingly using cottonization, blending and advanced processing methods to improve performance, but Fibral makes clear the category is still evolving operationally as much as commercially.
“Industries from textiles and construction to automotive and pulp and paper are seeking bio-based, low-impact feedstock alternatives,” the report states. But it also argues that scaling the category will require more coordinated investment in processing capacity, equipment, market infrastructure and supply-chain transparency.
The report also points to traditional ecological knowledge and existing agricultural systems as important parts of future industry growth.
Ricardo Garay, one of Fibral’s cofounders, writes that “innovation in plant fibers must begin with preservation,” adding that future growth should not repeat extractive models tied to monoculture expansion and colonial supply chains.
Instead, the report calls for community-led development models, fairer value distribution and stronger collaboration between industrial stakeholders and local producers. It also advocates practical measures, including cooperative access to equipment, transparent pricing systems and digital supply-chain coordination tools.
For Fibral, the challenge is no longer whether plant fibers can serve industrial markets, but whether the infrastructure around them can keep pace with growing interest.
This story was publish in Sourcing Journal’s material innovation report. Click here to download.
