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An Inside Look at One of the Best Sustainable Fibers on the Market
This year, Eco Persona launched a new collection of bags that aims to merge fashion with ethics. In collaboration with Ananas Anam, the pioneers behind Piñatex, a textile made from pineapple waste, we designed Temiqui, a collection named after the Náhuatl word for dream. Our goal? To create sustainable, durable, and stylish bags that carry more than just your essentials, they carry your dreams.
As a brand committed to sustainability, we constantly seek materials that reduce carbon footprints while encouraging circular production methods. When we discovered Piñatex, we were intrigued by its vegan leather alternative and the entire process behind it. What started as curiosity became an opportunity to explore how waste can be transformed into something beautiful and functional.
The Origin of Piñatex
We had the pleasure of interviewing Alexandra Richardson, Branding and Communications Manager at Ananas Anam, to learn more about this unique material. Alexandra shared that the inspiration for Piñatex stemmed from the need for a sustainable, plant-based alternative to leather; one that could help reduce the environmental impact associated with traditional leather production and chemical tanning processes.. Piñatex Inventor, Dr Carmen Hijosa, recognised a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact by transforming agricultural waste into a valuable and eco-friendly resource for textiles. By partnering with local farming industries, Ananas Anam found a way to repurpose pineapple leaves that would otherwise be burned, reducing soil, air, and water pollution.
Circular Processes and Positive Impact
By extracting fiber from pineapple leaves, Ananas Anam not only reduces waste but also creates job opportunities in rural areas. As Alexandra mentioned, the production process avoids harmful chemicals, which are typically detrimental to water ecosystems.
The benefits extend beyond just eco-friendliness. By preventing the leaf waste from being burned, Piñatex helps reduce CO2 emissions and prevents soil degradation, while lessening water contamination by eliminating harmful chemicals from the process. And at Eco Persona, we are equally committed to sustainability by powering our transformation processes with solar energy, ensuring safer working environments for our collaborators.
A Future of Sustainable Innovation
Currently, Piñatex is 95% renewable, and the Ananas Anam team continues to push the boundaries of innovation to reach 100%. By supporting ongoing research and promoting circular economy principles, they aim to create an even more sustainable and ethical textile for the future.
Like EcoPersona, Ananas Anam is committed to a business model that integrates environmental responsibility at every stage—from harvesting pineapple leaves to manufacturing the final product. As Alexandra pointed out, it’s easier to collaborate with partners who share these values, ensuring that circular economy principles are upheld.
EcoPersona focus
We believe that sustainability is not just a goal but a journey, and collaborations like the one with Ananas Anam are crucial in driving positive change. Piñatex is more than just a textile, it's a symbol of innovation, responsibility, and the power of turning waste into something wonderful. As we continue to explore new materials and methods, our vision is to contribute to a future where fashion isn’t just beautiful, it’s regenerative.
By choosing Piñatex and supporting brands like EcoPersona, you’re not just investing in a product; you’re investing in a future where sustainability and style coexist. Let's carry our dreams together, one ethical, eco-friendly bag at a time.
Can you imagine a world in which every product we consume could go back to its origins at the end of its life cycle?
When we are done eating an apple, the core can be composted. It decomposes with other matter to create new soil to help generate future apples and other food. This process is a regenerative sustainable cycle. It is also part of the philosophy and practice that we at EcoPersona are applying to our fashion and products. We believe that a healthy future for the planet and ourselves requires these sustainable cycles and that the textile and fashion industry needs to transform. #jointransformation
I was working for one of the top 10 Telecommunications companies in the world. I had just closed 3 of the largest projects of my life with 2 global insurance companies and one of the largest media experience companies. The 3 projects involved a highly technical IT telecommunications integration project with cloud data centers, MPLS networks, and multiple countries. Closing these projects required a lot of connections with people in 16 different countries and within the US. People from different backgrounds and different styles. As a vendor you have to understand and align the technology with what the customer wants and what the customer really needs.
EcoPersona is more than a business to me. It is an expression of my core values: taking care of ourselves, the environment, and our communities in a sustainable way. The idea began when I noticed how much we waste on packaging for objects. What about the packaging we put our bodies in?
EcoPersona supports small producers, uses sustainable fibers, and offers designs that let you express whoever you are.
I invite you to help tell the EcoPersona story.
With love, Karla Renteria
