Not a Banana Republic

Ecological Sustainability As An Imperative For Economic Growth

by Roberta Lebed

Incorporating Ecuador’s national waste stream from banana agriculture into the supply chain for sustainable textile production. 

‘System thinking has gained increased attention in recent years as a required approach for overcoming complex, systemic issues’ (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed cracks in the system and deeply embedded issues in the world. It has made us reconsider our value attribution methodologies and question global solutions. With people confined to their homes, the demand for services and products has plunged, resulting in a destabilised economy. This has proved that our current business models are not resilient and that something needs to be done differently. 

Our society has become excessively dependent on fossil fuels. Oil in particular can be found in almost everything we do and own, from powering our transport means to the clothes we wear. With consumption at around 35.5 billion barrels per year, it has been estimated oil reserves have got less than 50 years left (Ritchie, 2017). 

The tropical climate has served Ecuador with an abundance of biodiversity enriching it with natural capital. Generating 11.19 billion USD in 2010, refined and crude petroleum oils accounted for 49.9% of the total exported production, 22.4 billion USD (The Grow Lab at Harvard University, 2019). On the 20th April 2020 the price of oil plunged to below zero for the first time in history. This unprecedented fall has made it clear that the value of raw resources is not fixed. Countries like Ecuador, which rely on the exportation of these resources, will suffer immensely if their markets don’t diversify.

On the other hand, Ecuador´s second most exported product is bananas. Representing 14.4% of total exports (2010), it generates more than 230 million tons of ‘waste’ per year. I have referred to the by-products of this crop as waste because at the moment this is the treatment it receives. However, ‘a by-product or residual product does not constitute waste if it is destined for direct re-use in a further process in its existing form and if the use as a substitute or ingredient is as environmentally sound as the material it is replacing’ (Jacobs, 1997). 

The versatility of agricultural waste streams is often perceived as a move towards sustainability. In an era where there is a surplus of matter and substances there is the potential for finding new applications for undervalued resources; this seems like the ethical thing to do from an environmental perspective. 

For this project, I have localised a national waste stream that will be redirected back into the supply chain as virgin material. There is huge unnoticed potential in the high volumes of residues arising from the agricultural sector. Less than 2% of these are put into productive use and the majority of the current ‘bio-valorisation’ activities downgrade them to products like ethanol, biogas, bio composites and paper. This project has identified an opportunity to upcycle the biological waste from banana agriculture as a raw material for the textile industry thus challenging these notions of waste and value. If the potential of by-product commercialisation is properly promoted it could create new streams of production, generating jobs in all stages of production, from rural areas to middle income workers, thus helping the country’s economic growth whilst maintaining local integrity.

The main drive of Not a Banana Republic is to help tackle the unsustainability of the global fashion industry by providing an eco-friendlier alternative to cellulosic fabrics like cotton. 

Conventional cotton takes up approximately 2.5% of arable land globally and as much as 16% of all pesticides and other harmful chemicals are used in its growth. These substances stay in the fabrics long after they are sold to the clients, having damaging effects on health and the ecosystem, even during their use. Laundry releases microfibres containing these toxic chemicals that can easily carry into marine ecosystems and into our food chain. Organic cotton presents a solution to this issue, but more cultivated land is needed to meet the demand. I find the idea of utilising fertile land to grow crops in the name of fashion and style very problematic. With an exponentially increasing population, primary needs like housing and food will become scarce. 

Material devaluation is most evident in the current textile industry where throw-away culture is deeply rooted. Before the pandemic, the fashion industry was producing between 80 and 150 billion garments annually worldwide, most of which will end up in landfill by the end of their shortened lifespan. Although this seems to be a behavioural issue, could materiality be a solution?

Biodegradability has become a desirable quality for objects and things when we talk about eco-conscious sustainability. But, in a material intensive system, circularity doesn’t seem to be the magical fix to the problem. As I mentioned before, this project seeks to utilise already available resources which have not been exploited beneficially, as a means of dealing with our over-extractive business models. 

This practice is described as a bioeconomy. It involves ‘those parts of the economy that use renewable biological resources from land and sea’ (European commission, n.d.) to produce materials. The basis of our current economic system lies in the way and the rate in which we extract, process, distribute and discard Earth’s resources. It is severely threatening the planet’s ability to support life. We need to understand the economy is embedded in the environment and must recognise its dependency and value. More than often the true cost of an item is not represented in its price. It is no longer enough to ‘take less’ but vital to ‘give back’ if we want future generations to continue benefiting from the natural capital our planet provides. 

Due to COVID-19 and confinement measures, the intended goals for Not a Banana Republic were considerably affected. Collaboration was intrinsic for a satisfactory completion of the project and unfortunately this aspect had to be postponed. Travel restrictions have also limited my ability to get hold of materials and supplies I need for experimentation. For this reason, I have opted to address this project as a proposal and a base structure for future developments and implementation. 

Not a Banana Republic promises to be a glimpse of hope at this turbulent and uncertain time. 

ROBERTA LEBED was born in Guayaquil-Ecuador and completed her B.F.A. in Fibers with a minor in Design for Sustainability at the Savannah College of Art and Design (2018). She continued to get complete an MA in Material Futures at UAL Central Saint Martins (2020). Roberta is interested in the future textile economy and systemic thinking for ecological sustainability. Her work is constantly challenging the notion of waste and value through the use of by-products and left over material. Her instagram is @robertalebed.




Sources:

Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017). A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashion's future. Available at: http://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/publications (Accessed: 7 February, 2020).

European Commission (n.d.). Bioeconomy. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/research/bioeconomy/index.cfm (Accessed: 26 January, 2020).

Jacobs F. (1997). Opinion of Advocate General delivered on April 24. Case no. C-129/96. Court of Justice of the European Communities, Luxembourg.

Ritchie, H. (2017). How long before we run out of fossil fuels? Our World in data, 9 August. Available at: https://ourworldindata.org/how-long-before-we-run-out-of-fossil-fuels 

The Grow Lab at Harvard University (2019). Growth projections and complexity rankings, Ecuador 2010. Available at: https://atlas.cid.harvard.edu/explore?country=67&product=undefined&year=2010&productClass=HS&target=Product&partner=undefined&startYear=undefined