Pakistani student’s banana fiber innovation wins global green award

Mohammad Sarfaraz, a student from Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences in Quetta has won an international award for transforming banana waste into sustainable natural fibre.

Mohammad Sarfraz received the Discover Natural Fibre Initiative Award at the Home Textile International Exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany. The global competition got entries from over 100 research institutions, companies and universities.

Sarfraz’s project focuses on extracting high-quality, sustainable natural fibre from banana stems, an agricultural by-product that is often burned or dumped, contributing to environmental pollution. He dedicated the award to his teachers and the youth of Balochistan.

The process developed by Sarfraz involves three main stages, extracting natural fibre from banana waste, converting it into composite material and yarn, and finally producing fabric and other finished products. 

Director of the Natural Fibre Company, Mohammad Fawwad Supriya supported the project, and claimed that European firms at Heimtextil have shown strong interest. 

Fibre production has begun in Sukkur and Lasbela, with plans to expand to 4,000 households using locally designed machines. Each production unit, costing around Rs700,000–Rs800,000, can yield up to 1,000 kg of fibre per acre of banana waste.

Experts estimate that Pakistan could produce up to 500 million kg of natural fibre annually from banana waste, with a potential $1 billion market value, increasing exports and creating jobs in Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab.