A sustainable blend of plant fibers with cotton for knitted clothing

Abstract

This study explores the potential of blending alternative natural fibers—banana, flax, hemp, jute, and sisal—with cotton for clothing applications. Single jersey knitted fabrics were produced using 100% cotton and cotton blends at two ratios (80:20 and 60:40). After fabrication, fabrics underwent dyeing, softening, and biopolishing treatments to evaluate their mechanical and comfort properties. Higher cotton content increased strength, but finishing methods had a more significant effect on bursting strength. Biopolishing improved pilling resistance, while dyed fabrics had better air permeability than those treated with softeners. Softening and biopolishing also enhanced comfort features like wrinkle recovery and drape, especially in flax and jute blends. The findings indicate that fabric composition did not significantly affect bursting strength (p = 0.679). Still, treatments had a notable impact, with an F-value of 11.56 and p < 0.001, indicating that softeners increased strength, while biopolishing decreased it. For pilling resistance, treatment significantly influenced results (F = 32.73, p < 0.001), with bio-polishing outperforming dyeing and softening. Air permeability was also significantly affected by treatment (F = 17.94, p < 0.001), while composition alone had no significant effect (p = 0.480). Lastly, neither fabric composition (p = 0.165) nor treatment (p = 0.227) significantly affected water vapor permeability, although blends with higher natural fiber content, such as jute and banana, showed slightly higher values. This research highlights the viability of blending cotton with sustainable fibers to produce eco-friendly textiles that do not compromise comfort and durability, thereby addressing the sustainability challenges of conventional cotton production.