"The fashion industry is starting to pay attention," Muhammad Dimma Mawejje tells Women's Wear Daily.
"However, currently our solution hasn't made it to production processes with the large suppliers, but that's our ambition."
That's because Mawejje's company, Mawejje Creations, has recycled nearly 2 tons of banana fibers since it was founded in 2018.
The idea behind the company's "Commune Fabric": to create an eco-friendly, chemical-free, energy-efficient, water-saving fabric that can be used in fashion, jewelry, shoes, and bags.
The fibers come from Uganda's naturally wasted banana plant, which is self-sufficient and requires no pesticides, fertilizer, or extra water.
"Within a natural ecosystem of sustainable mixed agriculture, the plant is self-sufficient and requires no pesticides, fertilizer, or extra water," Mawejje tells WWD.
"These qualities have allowed it to contribute to food production."
He says nearly 60% of Uganda's banana biomass is left as waste, and he wants to use that resource "to empower the Kampala community of farmers and younger people through banana fiber production, extraction, and hands-on skills training."
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