Orange Fiber is the Italian company, founded in 2014 by Adriana Santanocito and Enrica Arena, which has patented and produces sustainable fabrics for fashion from citrus by-products.
According to updated data, around 700,000 tons of citrus waste are produced every year in Italy, a bulky by-product, which has so far represented a major problem for the entire citrus supply chain due to its high costs for the juice industries and for the environment.
Thanks to our patented process, we are able to exploit the potential of waste for the extraction of citrus cellulose suitable for spinning, thus transforming waste into a resource for the economic revival of the Italian textile-manufacturing sector.
Our solution, extracting a raw material from an industrial by-product not rival to food, offers the possibility of satisfying the growing demand for cellulose for textile use – due to the volatility of cotton and oil prices – while preserving natural resources, without producing industrial waste.
Compared to existing man-made cellulosic fibers, Orange Fiber does not exploit natural resources, but reuses a by-product, thus reducing the exploitation of land and water and the use of polluting pesticides.
