The future of textiles

New Sensitivity in the world of home textiles 

With Heimtextil Trends 24/25, the textile industry is encouraged to approach the future with care and attention and embrace the new sensibility in home textiles. Specifically, we see this change in three different trends for the world of (home) textiles: plant-based, technical and biotechnological. All three directions show different paths to the future of (home) textiles.

Plant textiles

The fibers of plant-based textiles come from something grown and are not produced synthetically. The advantage of plant-based textiles in terms of sustainability is that they are of natural origin and therefore are more likely to be recycled and reabsorbed into existing ecosystems. 

There are two options. The first is to produce textiles from plant crops. New resistant plants such as cactus, hemp, abaca (Manila hemp), seaweed and rubber offer new, sustainable textile solutions. Mechanical climate control allows them to grow despite climate changes and requires fewer chemicals. The second group is textiles made from plant (by)products, that is, raw materials such as bananas, olives, persimmons and hemp, which are left over during production.

Technical textiles

Technology can support the transformation of textiles through upcycling and recycling, textile development and textile design. Textile is a material that is abundant in the world. The development of textile recycling and upcycling technologies increases the circular use of already produced textiles, thereby reducing the need for new production. In addition, old production techniques are also a route to sustainable solutions. For example, by using knitting instead of weaving techniques for furniture fabrics, which reduces textile waste. Or by using weaving techniques with a small number of colored yarns, which can visually create multiple colors. Textile Design Thinking deals with critical issues, such as energy consumption or the sustainability of natural fibers, and seeks improvements through technological development.

To some extent, plant-based, engineering and biotechnology-produced textiles are fusing. Bioengineering bridges the gap between nature and technology and changes the way textiles are made. They can be divided into two directions: fully biotechnologically produced and biodegradable textiles. Fully biotechnologically produced textiles employ nature-inspired strategies. Instead of growing the plants and extracting fiber from them, proteins and carbohydrates from corn, grass, cane sugar or bacteria are employed. The textiles are produced through a biomolecular process. The sustainable advantage of biotechnologically produced textiles is that they can have some of the same functionalities as synthetically produced textiles. But because it is of natural origin, it can be biodegraded. 

Biodegradable fibers can be added to conventional textiles, such as polyester which can therefore be more easily converted to naturally occurring materials and can therefore and more easily biodegrade in natural environments, such as in water or soil. The biologically enhanced textiles biodegrade up to 93% compared to conventional textiles. 

Heimtextil materials of the future
Compiled by Franklin Till

In the era of the climate crisis, we are beginning to look beyond sustainability and seek regenerative design. But what does that mean and how do we define regenerative textiles and regenerative materials? 

Human activities are now causing significant damage to our planet. Therefore, current sustainability efforts are not enough to address the environmental crisis we face. Regenerative design aims to give something better back, to develop holistic, creative solutions that restore or renew resources, create a positive impact on the environment and encourage societies to thrive.