Wheat straw from the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana has been converted into lyocell fibre, yarn, and finished garments comparable to wood-based alternatives, in a seven-step international pilot completed in 2025. The project has shown that agricultural residues can substitute for wood-based pulp in lyocell production without major quality concerns, delivering fabrics across multiple construction types that met the performance standards of participating brands.
- Pulp produced from wheat straw was comparable in purity to conventional wood-based pulp, with minor ash content from silica addressed during the bleaching stage.
- Four fabric types were produced from the wheat-straw-based lyocell: warp-knit mesh, plain weave, jersey, and sweater knit, each handled by a different supply-chain partner.
- A direct aesthetic and technical comparison against conventional lyocell confirmed a strong match in saturation, hue, and performance, with commercial viability assessed as achievable.
- The findings have been revealed in From Wheat Straw to Wardrobes: Fashioning a New Fibre Future, published by Canopy on Tuesday.
HOW IT WORKED:Project Latvus was developed as a proof-of-concept pilot to test whether Indian wheat straw could serve as a viable feedstock for Next Generation lyocell fibre production. It continued work begun in 2021, when Laudes Foundation published a report outlining the potential of agricultural residues in South and South East Asia as textile feedstocks. The 2025 collaboration brought together non-profits, global brands, and supply-chain partners across multiple countries.
- Canopy, Laudes Foundation, and Fashion for Good led the non-profit side, with brands H&M Group, Reformation, and C&A participating as brand partners.
- Supply-chain stakeholders included Chempolis, TITK, Inovafil, Yee Chain, Shahi, Filpucci, DBL, and TextileGenesis, each contributing at distinct stages of the production process.
- Wheat straw was baled in Punjab and Haryana under Laudes Foundation supervision and shipped to Chempolis in Oulu, Finland, though a portion of the three-tonne batch was not shipped, with Finnish wheat straw provided by Chempolis to make up the shortfall.
- Inovafil converted the fibre into four yarn types; Shahi produced plain-weave fabric, Filpucci spun yarn for fully fashioned sweaters, and Yee Chain made warp-knit mesh.
- TextileGenesis mapped the full supply-chain journey for traceability, while midstream disruptions including partner withdrawals and company acquisitions caused delays requiring recruitment of new collaborators.
WHAT THE TESTS FOUND: Technical testing across every production stage confirmed that wheat-straw-based lyocell performed comparably to wood-based lyocell, with differences attributable to pilot scale rather than fundamental material limitations. Pulp purity was comparable to conventional sources, yarn was acceptable for both knitting and weaving, and the resulting fabrics handled similarly to wood-based lyocell with no major quality concerns reported by partner mills.
- Bleached pulp achieved brightness above 87 ISO and intrinsic viscosity of 647 ml per gram, with minor ash content from silica addressed during bleaching.
- The first pilot run produced 104 kg of staple fibre at 1.86 dtex with fibre tenacity of 32.9 cN/tex, though impurities in the spinning dope reduced conventional filter life during processing.
- Ne 30/1 yarn tenacity results were 19.89 cN/tex for 100% Latvus pulp and 18.81 cN/tex for a 50/50 blend with conventional pulp, both acceptable for knitting and weaving.
- Indian pulp total unbleached yield reached 24% at pilot scale against an expected 37–39% at industrial scale; screening yield was 58% against an expected industrial rate of 90–95%, with fractionation yield at 41%.
- Shahi reported issues with colourfastness and dimensional stability after repeated washing, while yarn hairiness caused by fibre irregularities is expected to resolve as batch sizes increase.
BEYOND THE FIBRE: Scaling wheat-straw-based lyocell production carries consequences that extend well beyond the supply chain. Redirecting crop residues from open burning into fibre production reduces air pollution responsible for up to 40% of Delhi's particulate load, and cuts emissions that the Indian Agricultural Research Institute has estimated at 149.24 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, 9 million tonnes of carbon monoxide, 1.28 million tonnes of particulate matter, and 0.07 million tonnes of black carbon annually, easing pressure on climate-critical forests in the process.
- Farmers gain access to new income streams from straw that would otherwise be burned, with Canopy recommending Roundtable for Sustainable Biomaterials certification to ensure residue removal does not cause soil degradation.
- Reducing dependence on Ancient and Endangered Forests for MMCF production supports global biodiversity targets, with more than one in eight bird species currently threatened with extinction globally.
- Next steps include a techno-economic assessment covering yield targets, capital expenditure, and cost competitiveness, with financial viability further supported by recovery of co-products such as sulphur-free lignin, furfural acid, and acetic acid.
- Shifting from pilot to commercial production will require brand expressions of interest to build investor confidence in financing a biorefinery capable of manufacturing larger volumes of wheat straw dissolving pulp.
- Consumer communication will require a clear set of claims conveying the benefits of lyocell derived from agricultural residues, supported by TextileGenesis traceability verification and RSB certification.
WHAT THEY SAID
Project Latvus shows that the future of fibre is already here. While continued scale-up is needed to optimize efficiency and close the price difference, the direction is clear — Next Gen MMCFs are ready for the next stage of commercial adoption, said Nicole Rycroft, Founder and Executive Director of Canopy. By diversifying feedstocks beyond forests, we have a real opportunity to build a more resilient, circular, and low-impact textile industry.
— Nicole Rycroft
Founder and Executive Director
Canopy
