Turning eucalyptus and seaweed into fiber

London- and New York-based materials science company Pangaia offers a biobased fiber that’s made from a mix of eucalyptus pulp and seaweed powder. Pangaia says that C-FIBER™ is 100 percent biodegradable in soil, landfills, compost or water. The company has described the material as carbon neutral, water- and energy-saving and part of a “natural solution” to the current inefficient use of the planet’s resources. The seaweed powder comes from seaweed harvested every four years to allow for regeneration. The lyocell is derived from eucalyptus wood pulp.

“Our C-Fiber is made from abundant plants that use ocean water and rainfall instead of scarce freshwater resources and reuses elements from the production process to create closed-loop systems,” the company says. 

Garments created with the fiber range from Pure, 100 percent C-Fiber, which has a smooth, silky feel; Fusion, derived from 54 percent C-Fiber with a soft, fuzzy feel; and styles with 20 percent of the fiber, which provides a soft, cotton-like feel. Photo: Pangaia