Vietnam’s first 100% eco-friendly fiber has just launched: Ananas – a sustainable cottonized fiber, yarn, and fabric derived from pineapple leaves. Ananas also marks a global milestone as the world’s first commercially-produced pineapple fabric capable of yielding a variety of material textures. This news has left the local textile industry both delighted and surprised.
Curious about the journey behind this innovation? The story from Ananas’s “parent,” Bảo Lân Textiles, in collaboration with Ecofa Vietnam, reveals the research, development, and creation process of this groundbreaking material.
Ten Years of Transformation… in Mindset
Dave Quách, founder of Bảo Lân Textile, could be called a “natural” in the textile business, having grown up in a family rooted in fabric trading since the post-war era. Growing up surrounded by fabrics gave him the sensitivity of a seasoned professional, along with a foundational knowledge and market insight.
But his views on the trade and way of life took a turn after a decade studying in New Zealand in the 2000s—a time when sustainable, eco-friendly living had already become mainstream in the country. From daily routines to new tech development, everything focused on environmental conservation, energy saving, and maximizing product lifespan. Though the passion for textiles was still there, witnessing this sustainable lifestyle and evolving consumer and fashion trends worldwide compelled him to reprogram his thinking: the old ways needed a fresh goodbye.
So, in 2011, with perfect timing, Bảo Lân Textiles was born.
But no startup journey is paved solely with roses. The challenges mounted, as the domestic market’s demand for “green” textiles was still low, while production costs were steep. Initially, Bảo Lân Textiles aimed to specialize in eco-friendly fiber supply, finding customers with the need, then locating suppliers to match. However, this forward-looking vision was far ahead of reality. At the time, the local textile industry wasn’t yet interested in sustainability, with competitive pricing still the primary focus. Setback after setback followed.
A year later, Bảo Lân undertook its first restructuring, launching the Greenyarn brand to focus on sourcing and distributing eco-friendly fibers in bulk to Vietnamese factories. This time, the approach shifted. Instead of following demand, Bảo Lân proactively developed products it identified as having future potential. The initial selections included Mélange yarn—a blend of two or more fibers dyed together—and recycled polyester yarn. Two years later, with the implementation of new spinning technology, Greenyarn became the first Vietnamese company to bring Space dye, Siro yarn, and Color Mélange yarns to the market. Following that, the affordable “Gý19” collection launched with 19 pre-dyed Mélange colors. In 2018, another restructuring led to the creation of five core collections at Greenyarn: Organic, Cellulose, Recycled, Fancy, and Special—establishing the foundation for future product development.
Greenyarn’s sustainable fibers have since achieved several certifications: GOTs (Global Organic Textile Standard), ensuring organic fibers meet rigorous environmental and social standards from raw material to finished product; GRS (Global Recycled Standard), providing third-party verification for recycled content, closed-loop production, chemical restrictions, and lifecycle assessment; and OEKO-TEX 100, a global certification that guarantees textiles are free from harmful substances.
Understanding fashion brands’ desire for unique, eco-friendly lines with their own requirements and standards, Bảo Lân launched W.ELL Fabric in 2019. W.ELL specializes in producing sustainable textiles with integrated features, like coffee fabric, bamboo fabric with UV protection, insect-repellent, odor-resistant, waterproof, cooling, anti-fine-dust properties, and BCI CVC Recycled fabric.
Reflecting on this journey of “measuring, cutting, stitching, and testing” filled with challenges and rewards, Dave Quách humorously remarks, “Every time we reach a new level, we realize it’s still not quite there.” He adds, “We’re unique in Vietnam’s textile industry and among a rare few globally that combine both commerce and R&D. We research to create marketable products, and we commercialize to fund the extensive, costly research required.”
The 10-year journey has been one of educating and shifting customer mindsets from the early days, when “eco-friendly” was still new in the industry. Convincing customers of the benefits of these unique fibers hasn’t always been as simple as citing statistics; often, they need to feel it firsthand, like bamboo’s thermoregulating quality, which warms in cold weather and cools in heat. Another distinct challenge in R&D is the human factor—achieving the desired fabric, satisfying both our standards and the client’s, takes a toll on mind and spirit. And, as Dave notes, “Experience is everything in this industry. There’s no shortcut; it requires endless trials and errors. For a single new yarn, even just the spinning stage can require seven or eight rounds of failure to get right, not to mention subsequent weaving, dyeing, and beyond.”
Transparency, Once Again
With R&D reaching new heights in value, Bảo Lân Textiles now offers exclusive, innovative products like virus-resistant Bamboo Biocell fabric and the newly released pineapple leaf fiber fabric, Ananas. Yet for Dave Quách, this venture is about more than just personal achievements.
Producing fabric from pineapple leaves tackles agricultural waste while creating jobs and additional income for farmers. Currently, Ecofa Vietnam collaborates with cooperatives across five major farming regions—Dien Bien, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, and Tien Giang—to procure the leaves. The fiber extraction is handled locally, using equipment designed by Ecofa Vietnam’s founder, engineer Dau Van Nam. Ecofa provides the technology and guarantees all pineapple leaves meet specific standards in length, color, and cleanliness. The machinery is maintained and inspected regularly.
“All personnel involved—from quality management at the farms to leaf procurement and machine operation—are local workers. We supply the machinery, train locals on technical use, and receive daily reports from cooperative heads. When necessary, we conduct sample checks,” shares Dau Van Nam.
The main challenge isn’t the technical skill of the laborers, as the tasks are straightforward, but rather the variability in climate, seasonal production, yield, quantity, and farming practices across regions. Solving this issue requires flexibility, along with incentivizing cooperatives by reducing machinery costs or providing financial assistance. “We currently have two types of machines—automatic and semi-automatic. Semi-automatic machines cost around 25 million VND, while automatic machines are about 1.5 billion VND each. For semi-automatic models, Ecofa subsidizes half the price for cooperatives, with the balance gradually offset by product volume. Due to the higher cost of automatic machines, Ecofa retains ownership, while the cooperative provides the raw materials and labor,” explains Dau Van Nam. “We are continuously working to lower machinery costs.”
Once Ecofa Vietnam supplies fiber ready for spinning and blending, Bảo Lân Textile produces Ananas yarn and fabric for applications across textiles, apparel, fashion, and home furnishings.
Among the hurdles Dave Quách mentions in developing this new fabric is securing production samples at factories. Typically, factories require a minimum of 5 tons of raw material per weaving trial, making it difficult to find facilities willing to process smaller batches of 300–500 kg for sample creation. Additionally, technicians at these factories need to be highly skilled to identify and adjust material ratios, colors, and qualities based on the first few meters of finished fabric. “Finding factories that share the vision for innovation, are open to producing in smaller volumes, and have skilled technical teams feels like a matter of pure fortune,” Dave Quách reflects.
There is so much more to this journey—akin to “weaving hemp with finesse.” Interestingly, throughout the conversation, while discussing what may seem like a highly logical and technical field, Dave often referred to “destiny”—a word that suggests a certain charm and sentiment. Perhaps his lifelong relationship with fabrics has brought an element of poetry to his work. And perhaps it’s this poetic perspective that has fueled his optimism through countless trials and errors, ensuring he never gives up.
“Doubling Down” on Traditional Brands
One of Bảo Lân Textiles’ upcoming priorities is exploring ways to blend its eco-friendly fibers, like Bamboo Biocell, with Vietnam’s long-standing, culturally iconic silk materials. This effort seeks to revitalize and refine traditional brands, breathing fresh life into Vietnam’s silk industry while preserving and expanding the legacy of traditional silks under the looming threat of cultural erosion. Specific projects include Bamboo Lãnh—a fusion of Bamboo Biocell with Lãnh Mỹ A—and Bamboo Silk, a mix of Bamboo Biocell with silk from Vietnam’s well-known silk-making villages and regions.
Through this approach, these timeless fabrics from heritage villages will gain new functionalities, such as antibacterial properties, UV protection, and thermal regulation, thanks to the introduction of these eco-fibers.
Another initiative Bảo Lân Textiles will soon introduce is Bamboo Denim, promising to change perceptions of denim—a garment often associated with heavy water and chemical usage in production—by offering a more sustainable alternative. And a new “sibling” to Ananas is also underway: Banana fiber. Currently, Bảo Lân is collaborating with the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City and organic farms to research and implement this innovative material.
On the topic of sustainability, Dave Quách is forthright, stating that sustainability is a journey, a lifestyle—not merely a destination or a certificate. For Bảo Lân, or any company, the only guiding framework is the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These serve as reference points for choosing sustainable practices, but it would be overly ambitious for any company to declare itself fully “sustainable.” In any supply chain, each link can only guarantee its own sustainability; achieving a truly sustainable chain requires each individual part to meet these stringent criteria. It’s a collective, society-wide effort to move towards sustainability.
Eco-friendly lifestyles are gaining traction, but challenges remain. Currently, with Lãnh Mỹ A silk dyed with the mak nua fruit in Tân Châu and other traditional products dyed with natural plants, the question is whether they’re eco-friendly and sustainable. The answer is yes. However, proving the origins and traceability of these plants to demonstrate their sustainability is an entirely different challenge and makes certification difficult.
The first of its kind. The first of its kind. The first of its kind. For Dave Quách, the journey of constant innovation means there’s no finish line…
By: NGỌC PHƯƠNG (published in the October 2024 issue of Nông Thôn Việt magazine)