This Jordanian Designer Creates Sustainable Fashion from Food Waste

Batoul Alrashdan collects onion, orange, and kiwi peel and turns them into biotextiles. She shapes this sustainable fashion material with a 3D printer or a laser cutter. Alrashdan makes everything from dresses to accessories. The textile industry has a massive impact on the environment. It uses 98 million tonnes of non-renewable resources annually, including oil, fertilizer, and chemicals, and emits more CO2 than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.

Alrashdan wants to reduce fashion’s environmental footprint while drawing attention to wider environmental issues. Alrashdan made these salty-looking items inspired by the Dead Sea, where the water level falls by more than 1 meter yearly.

Sustainable fashion approaches are springing up around the world. In Kazakhstan, Vegan Fashion makes textiles from hemp. It uses 97% less water than cotton to grow and doesn’t need toxic pesticides or fertilizers. In the US, Nature Fibre Welding makes leather from plant-based materials. It has made, what it says, the world’s first 100% recyclable sneakers.