Material Minds: 3 Experts Discuss Where Fiber Trends Are Headed

Trends

Material Minds: 3 Experts Discuss Where Fiber Trends Are Headed

Fibers are the building blocks of our clothing, and textile and apparel designers and developers have a growing array of choices at their disposal. Feeding into these decisions are countless priorities—from sustainability and aesthetics to performance and pricing.

2026 has already thrown countless curveballs at the industry as input costs and supply are impacted by conflicts and geopolitics. Despite headwinds, there are still bright spots as innovation and lower impact options stay the course.

As part of a major textile fiber producer, the TENCEL™ Denim team is closely following where the trends are going. To get some outside takes on what is driving a ramp up in next-gen fibers, we consulted three subject area experts: Daren Abney, senior director, materials engagement and partnerships at Textile Exchange; Michael Kininmonth, man-made cellulosic fiber (MMCF) and denim expert; and Paolo Leidi, textile engineer at Integrated Textile Engineering. Read on for their insights on the challenges the industry is facing, which next-gen materials stand out and the major opportunities in this space.

Carved in Blue: To start off, what would you say is the outlook for the textile fiber market this year? And is the story different between natural materials, MMCFs and synthetics?

Daren: This year feels like a transition year. Growth is steady but cautious, and the real momentum is around lower-impact and circular materials.

Synthetics remain dominant, with polyester making up 59 percent of total global fiber output in 2024, according to our latest Materials Market Report. Although this threatens to undermine the industry’s commitments to its climate goals, there is an increasing shift toward recycled and circular systems. Alongside this, man-made cellulosic fibers (MMCFs) are advancing in traceability and alternative feedstocks, with two-thirds of MMCFs now produced using certified or controlled feedstock. Natural fibers are navigating climate volatility, but there are success stories in regenerative agriculture practices.

Michael: As I pen the answers in this article, global conflicts continue and are on the brink of further escalation. In such a situation of extreme uncertainty and unpredictability, all companies remain mostly in a wait-and-see mode postponing long-term decisions that are directly or indirectly influenced by the state and outlook of geopolitics. The longer the wars last, the more damaging the negative repercussions for the global economy will be in terms of higher energy prices and will eventually result in higher consumer prices and rising inflation rates. Historically, when there have been individual commodity fiber price booms, manufacturers have countered by initiating fiber substitution in products. When prices rise across the board, it is difficult to predict what will happen.

Interestingly, there are direct negative consequences for the synthetic man-made fiber industry. Asia imports around 70 percent of naphtha, the main feedstock for polyester and nylon, from the Middle East. The largest producer of synthetic man-made fibers, China, buys around 50 percent of imported naphtha from the Middle East. Naphtha’s prices jumped more than 50 percent between February and mid-March.

Paolo: The outlook is directly dependent on the global textile industry outlook: Market stability and customers’ confidence are the biggest question marks.

This said, I see on one side a trend towards natural fibers, away from synthetic ones, especially for the microplastic pollution.

On the other hand, younger generations are attracted by functional wear, which is depending on performing synthetic fibers.

MMCFs are a great opportunity because they can merge some characters from both the above groups, adding the “recycled” key point.

Carved in Blue: What would you say are the top three challenges that the fiber industry is facing currently?

Daren: Aligning on credible, harmonized impact measurement. To drive meaningful change, the industry must align on how impact is defined and measured. Textile Exchange is transitioning to the Materials Matter Standard to create a more consistent framework for measuring outcomes across material systems. By aligning methodologies and metrics, we can more clearly demonstrate progress, reduce duplication and scale verified best practices with confidence.

Scaling material solutions at commercial volumes and viable costs. This will require a great deal of funding and lengthy timeframes in order for them to become available to meaningfully contribute to impact reduction. The industry should continue investing in transforming existing supply chains, particularly for the materials produced in the highest volumes and that have the highest impacts.

Navigating increasing regulatory and claims scrutiny. With new regulation coming in globally, the fashion industry is operating in a challenging climate.

Michael: Price, price and price—regrettably. Post Covid, in late 2020, sustainability was at the top of the fashion industry’s agenda. Industry leaders recognized the urgent need for responsible practices, as consumer demand and regulatory pressure grew. The question was how the industry would transform to achieve a sustainable operating model. It was recognized that upgrading the then-current processes and products with existing solutions would not deliver progress quickly enough. Instead, the industry needed new solutions that lead to transformative change. The challenge was not a lack of disruptive ideas, but rather a need to accelerate the pace of change. One critical lever was the inflow of capital needed to scale new solutions. Unfortunately, that optimism has slowly dissipated under price pressure and huge amounts of investment wasted chasing the wrong projects.

Paolo: Stabilization of natural fibers recycling and their properties, reduction of the environmental impact and traceability.

Carved in Blue: What are some untapped opportunities you see for fiber suppliers? How can they take advantage of this?

Daren: Suppliers have a real opportunity to step into strategic partnership roles—not just selling fibers but offering solutions. Those who bring strong traceability, credible data and long-term collaboration models to brands will differentiate themselves. Pre-competitive partnerships, especially around recycling and regenerative systems, can also unlock opportunities for scaling impact.

As part of Textile Exchange’s updated membership structure, we are moving to a more action-oriented approach, which reflects the need for deeper engagement and greater accountability. Fiber suppliers sourcing from Tier 4 can play an important role in signaling demand for materials sourced from preferred production systems. By bringing various actors across the supply chain together through our membership, including not only suppliers but Tier 4 stakeholders, brands and retailers too, we want to align the supply system through shared targets and pathways and support members to make measurable, credible contributions to industry-wide goals in an effort to drive beneficial outcomes for climate, nature, people and animals.

Michael: If I knew the answers, I would be running a highly successful fiber business. Responsible manufacturing, or “sustainability,” was seen some years back as being the main opportunity, and certain companies have been leaders in this venture but seem not to have been rewarded commercially for their efforts. Likewise, innovation has been seen as key for fiber companies, however there are few examples, if at all, of first-mover advantage creating long-term commercial success.

Paolo: “Technical” performance development and a closer connection with end users through B2C advertising. This would help to enlarge fiber suppliers’ market opportunities and build end users’ loyalty.

Carved in Blue: How do you see the challenging climate impacting material innovation, if at all?

Daren: Short-term economic pressure can slow things down, but climate urgency is pushing innovation forward, as organizations shift to focus on supply chain resilience. Innovations such as the latest recycling technologies, if embraced at scale, have the potential to redefine how the industry operates. At the same time, incremental advancements and innovations in existing supply chains and material production—like optimizing energy use in manufacturing, improving dyeing processes and enhancing supply chain transparency—are critical to making immediate progress.

What’s changing is the focus, which must be on innovations that are backed by partnerships and measurable outcomes and drive real environmental and social impact, not just efficiency gains. Brands with science-based targets need material transformation to hit their goals.

Michael: The fashion and apparel industry has had decades to deal with climate change issues and has made little progress. Legislation is the main way to force the industry to change, and I believe that the fiber industry has the ability to contribute to any mandated changes.

Paolo: Climate changes are and will affect our entire life. I do not expect they will impact negatively material innovation; on the contrary, hopefully, it will push for stronger efforts and new solutions.

Carved in Blue: What are some standout next-gen fiber initiatives you’ve seen in the past year?

Daren: There is progress in textile-to-textile recycling. It is estimated that by 2030, textile-to-textile recycling capacity could reach 3 to 5 million metric tons. At Textile Exchange, we advocate for textile-to-textile recycling as a preferred production system. Our primary goal is to support the transition away from fossil-derived materials through research, stakeholder engagement and standards such as the Global Recycled Standard.

Initiatives built on shared risk and shared commitment are those that stand out. An ecosystem in which brands, suppliers, innovators and standards work together is what will truly unlock scale.

Michael: I cannot confidently identify any such examples. Significant investment is being directed toward projects with limited potential for commercialization or scalability. In contrast to other technology-driven sectors, such as automotive and aerospace, the fashion industry lacks well-defined stage gates, standardized processes and clear pathways to commercialization. The absence of these frameworks increases uncertainty and heightens the risk of misjudgment, ultimately creating barriers that hinder progress for all stakeholders involved.

Paolo: In general, all the initiative to produce cellulosic fibers from organic wastages.

Carved in Blue: Turning to marketing, what are a few tips for messaging that will help fiber companies break through the noise?

Daren: Fiber companies should lead with evidence, aligning marketing and communication efforts to support consumer awareness, encourage education and engagement with alternative choices and normalize sustainable behavior.

Personally, I would love to see companies talking about measurable outcomes and highlighting their partnerships to show that credibility is collective.

Michael: Don’t exaggerate. Don’t copy. Use concrete data, expert opinions and verified industry statistics to demonstrate expertise rather than just making claims.

Paolo: On top, I feel that consumers are looking for something that makes their lives easier—for example, wash and wear. Then, declaring the actual impact on the environment numbers, certified by well-known third-party bodies, in a way that is easy to understand by consumers in comparison, for example, with some traditional fibers. The risk is of too many and fake data.

Carved in Blue: What trends do you anticipate will dominate the fiber market in the next five years?

Daren: Circularity infrastructure: Investment in collection, sorting, recycling technologies and traceability systems will accelerate as brands and policymakers push to make circularity operational at scale rather than aspirational.

Regenerative approaches will gain momentum as companies look beyond impact reduction toward restoring soil health, biodiversity and farming livelihoods as core components of fiber sourcing strategies.

Deeper, longer-term sourcing partnerships: Volatility in supply, climate pressures and compliance demands will drive brands to build longer-term, more integrated partnerships with producers and supply chain actors to ensure resilience and shared value.

The future of fiber is less about competing materials and more about collaborating systems. Instead of positioning fibers against one another, the industry will increasingly focus on how different materials, standards and stakeholders can work together within aligned systems to deliver credible impact at scale.

Michael: Recycled content due to regulatory pressure in the EU, technical textiles for high-performance needs such as automotive, medical and aerospace, traceability—with the EU digital product passport it will be mandatory by 2027, and nearshoring momentum, including geopolitical risks and shipping disruptions.

Paolo: Definitely easy and comfortable wear, as well as flexibility in fiber use to achieve different performance.