The Importance of Biodegradable Textiles as Eco-Friendly Fabric

If we strive for anything in 2026, let it be towards sustainability. While considering the importance of being more environmentally conscious, we should strive for using materials that are as sustainable as possible. Sustainable fabrics are biodegradable textiles made from natural materials that can decompose without harming the environment when discarded.

Fast fashion clothing, which accounts for much of the clothes we wear currently, are not biodegradable. They end up as waste in landfills. And sadly, the clothing industry is manufacturing mainly unsustainable clothing, badly made clothing that doesn’t last like it used to. Also, fast fashion relies on trends – and once a trend is over, the clothing is discarded and replaced with the latest trend.

We have compiled a comprehensive guide on The Problem With Fast Fashion for you to read.

Also, according to an article published last year on LinkedIn by sustainable business fashion expert Claire Goldsworthy, “We’re living in a throwaway culture – and it’s taking a toll. When synthetic materials like polyester, nylon, spandex, and acetate end up in landfills, they don’t biodegrade. And every time these clothes are washed, they release microplastics into our waterways, contributing to marine pollution.”

The article’s title, Ultra-Fast Fashion is Ultra-Bad, & it is Creating 92 Million Tonnes of Waste a Year & Counting, is enough to make people wake up to this reality.

Biodegradable Fabric to Become Industry Standard

To combat this, biodegradable textiles are becoming industry standard, and, according to fashion trend forecaster Heuritech, “Textile trends in 2026 promise big changes for garment manufacturers”. This is a result of them adapting to “sustainability demands and smart innovations”. These shifts will “shape production lines and profits”.

Heuritech believes that “eco-friendly fabrics” such as recycled polyester, nylon and lyocell, hemp blends and recycled cotton will top textile trends for recyclable clothes by 2030,” and as “factories upgrade to meet global standards”. In an article published on its website, the forecaster talks about the future surge of bio-based materials:

“Mycelium leather hits $336 million by 2033, used by brands like Stella McCartney. Banana fibre from waste stems spins into strong cloth. These options cut carbon footprints sharply.” As far as trends go, Heuritech believes that “The technical textiles boom is expected to grow by $481 billion by 2035… Smart fabrics with sensors and energy-harvesting tech lead textile trends in 2026.”

You can also read our comprehensive blog on textile sustainability in fashion, entitled Circularity in Textiles in the UK Fashion Industry.

Why Biodegradable Fabric is Important

Biodegradable fabrics are sustainable. As they naturally decompose when discarded, they are environmentally friendly and help reduce pollution. Businesses manufacturing this type of fabric are doing the world a favour: they are producing material that enables consumers to focus more on sustainability. Why is this important? According to the JD Fashion Institute of Technology in India, “the fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world”, and a major contributor to “the world’s waste”.

It talks about the “development of environmental friendly fabrics” which now allow fabrics to disintegrate in a shorter period of time, which means less pressure on the world’s landfills and calls these biodegradable fabrics “crucial for zero-waste fashion design”.

Of course, even biodegradable fabric isn’t necessarily eco-friendly. We can still raise questions about animal welfare relating to natural materials like leather, and human rights issues (Are the people working in factories well-looked after? Do they earn a living wage? Do they work in a healthy environment?).

Even fabrics that are not biodegradable, like recyclable materials such as Recycled Polyester can still be relatively sustainable. But biodegradable material is another level to recycled polyester; it’s ethically sustainable when one considers fashion waste and it’s an important part of sustainability in the fashion industry.

Read our fascinating blog on Sustainable Innovation for Design Businesses 2026 for some inspiration. We also compiled a guide on How to Combat Textile Waste, which is well worth reading.

Advantages of Biodegradable Fabric

If biodegradable fabrics could replace synthetics, the world would be a better place. As ethically produced biodegradable materials like bamboo, cotton and hemp don’t contain chemicals or other harmful elements, they don’t harm the environment.

Here are some advantages of biodegradable fabric:

Here are some advantages of biodegradable fabric:

·      Low Impact on the Environment

Most biodegradable fabrics are made from natural fibres. This ensures it will naturally decompose and not harm the environment.

·      Sustainable

The clothing made from these yarns is usually sustainable manufactured, made using less energy and water.

·      Not Toxic

This type of fabric is free from toxic chemicals, as the sustainable manufacturing process doesn’t use these chemicals. This way, they are not only environmentally friendly, but are also safer for people to wear, as no additives are included that could cause allergies or harm. As a result, they don’t cause skin irritation or sensitivity.

·      Better Quality

As the clothing fabrics are made from natural materials, they are of better quality and are more long-lasting.

·      More Comfortable

Clothing made from natural textiles like cotton and hemp are more comfortable to wear, as they are made from soft, breathable fibres. They are often moisture-wicking, so they remove moisture from the body, which regulates one’s body temperature.

Disadvantages of Biodegradable Clothing

It’s important to note that not all biodegradable clothes are ‘good’.

Remember the following:

·      More Expensive

It costs more to purchase biodegradable clothes, as natural materials cost more than synthetic ones.

·      Quality

Not all biodegradable clothes are hard-wearing. Wool and cotton certainly are, but linen, for instance, can be less durable.

·      Takes Longer to Decompose

While they may decompose naturally, some biodegradable plant-based natural textiles take longer to decompose than others.

Biodegradable Fashion Fabrics

Below is a list of the most biodegradable fabrics being used in the fashion industry right now:

Organic Cotton

Although manufacturing cotton fabric requires more water than manufacturing many other natural fabrics, this popular textile decomposes quickly. If it is completely organic, it doesn’t contain any chemicals from pesticides, synthetic fertilisers and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Instead, it grown naturally. If the textile is also made using natural dyes, it can even be compostable!

Hemp

Hemp is commonly produced sustainably, despite its bad reputation because of its association with marijuana. Workers cut and strip the fibre from this legal plant by hand and then weave it into threads. Most hemp is sustainably grown using very little water and without chemicals (no pesticides are necessary, as the yarns contain natural defences against insects). When manufactured, the fabric is strong and hard-wearing. The longer it is used, the softer the fabric becomes, which makes it very easy to biodegrade.

Lyocell 

Fibre for these fabrics is usually produced from regenerated cellulose, made from wood pulp. As a result, the yarns are completely biodegradable. Lyocell is commonly made from wood pulp from sustainable eucalyptus and beech trees and is exceptionally long-lasting.

TENCEL™

This material is produced from bamboo pulp using a closed-loop method, which doesn’t chemically alter the cellulose structure, so the textiles are chemical-free. The material is lightweight, smooth, comfortable and doesn’t crease. Bamboo has a relatively fast growth cycle and doesn’t require replanting. It also biodegrades quickly, which makes it an extremely environmentally-friendly material.

Less Sustainable Biodegradable Fashion Fabric

Organic Linen

Although organic linen does biodegrade in soil, and it’s produced without using pesticides and other chemicals, it differs from linen, which is produced using chemicals and doesn’t biodegrade easily. However, only 1% of linen is organic linen.

Silk

This natural material may be biodegradable, but is often associated with ethical issues, as silkworms and moths are often unethically treated. It’s also not vegan-friendly. However, many people do consider silk to be biodegradable, strong and resilient. It’s also hypoallergenic, luxurious, antimicrobial, antifungal and extremely comfortable.

Wool

Wool, including Merino wool, is biodegradable and promotes soil health by releasing nutrients back into the earth. To be 100% biodegradable, wool has to be grown organically and not produced with harsh chemicals. However, as wool is derived from sheep, animal welfare groups have issues with this material. The fibre also requires vast amounts of land for the sheep to graze. On the plus side, wool doesn’t contain microplastics; it can be produced organically and decomposes in the soil.

Biodegradable Polyester

This new form of polyester differs from traditional polyester fabric in that it naturally breaks down, thanks to the bacteria and fungi it contains. Traditional polyester fabric is not biodegradable; it is produced from “fossil fuel-based materials” that do not naturally decompose, which is why they are often found in landfills, and the ocean (these materials release microplastics). A lot of research is still being done on biodegradable polyester, which may well become a future biodegradable choice for many manufacturers.

Which Fabrics Biodegrade Fast?

Some biodegradable fabrics take longer to decompose than others. Here’s a list of how long different materials take:

·      Organic Linen – 14 days

·      Lyocel and TENCEL™ – 55 days

·      Hemp – 3 months

·      Bamboo – 4 to 6 months

·      Organic Cotton – 4 to 6 months

·      Silk – 1 to 4 years

·      Wool – 1 – 5 years

What Biodegradable Means

Many people take ‘biodegradable’ at face value, thinking it means that a fabric garment will break down into eco-friendly components. In the EU, there has been a lot of debate about the term, to the extent that the EU Parliament and Council are working together to regulate sustainable indicators, including the term “biodegradable”, by the end of 2026.

Research conducted by online retailer OnBuy revealed that 74% of respondents on a survey purchased fabric if it was labelled “biodegradable”. This begs the question: do people really know what “biodegradable” is? Certainly, it implies that the fabric elements break down after a time; but the timeline can vary depending on the type of fabric and the elements used to create a garment, such as thread, embellishments like lace, zips, etc.

There’s also the difference between “biodegradable” and “compostable”. A fabric is “biodegradable” if it breaks down under certain conditions, including enough heat and moisture. And, as we mentioned above, they could still contain harmful elements as a result of added items in manufacture, like buttons, zips, and so on.

On the other hand, “compostable” items decompose, a process involving between 60 and 90% of the fabric transforming to water, carbon dioxide and biomass, all nutrient-rich organic materials, within approximately 180 days. This occurs in a composting facility, and no toxic residues remain afterwards.

Of course, advanced technology could well iron out all these issues, and many innovative global manufacturers are making inroads. Compostable fashion fabrics could be advantageous if manufacturers pursue this route. We’ll just have to wait and see.

More About Sustainable Fabrics

You can also gain inspiration from our Social Responsibility Initiatives here.