(Updated: February 26, 2026)
The DNFI (Discover Natural Fibres Initiative) Annual Steering Committee Meeting in Frankfurt involved a thorough review of the current situation of natural fibres. As the data indicates, there has been a discernible shift towards the use of sustainable materials, with jute and sisal being replaced by wool and, most notably, banana fibre. The hybrid session was productive, with industry leaders providing updates on the latest developments in their fields
Terry Townsend, Statistician for DNFI, reported that world natural fibre production in 2025 is estimated at 32.8 million tonnes, a decrease of 400,000 tonnes from 2024. Initial projections for 2026 are that lower prices for cotton will lead to reduced production. However, record high prices for jute could lead to a rebound in jute production, while rising prices for wool could lead to production stablizing. Production of hemp, flax and most other plant fibres are trending higher.
Townsend noted that jute production fell drastically in 2025 because of poor weather during the harvest period. World wool production has been trending downward for over a decade and fell to the lowest level in a century during 2025. The primary reason for reduced wool production is a shift toward meat breeds within the world sheep flock. The value of world natural fibre production at the farm level remained at US$50 billion in 2025, down from a record (in nominal terms) of $75 billion in 2021 during Covid-era disruptions to world trade. The value of production averaged $54 billion over the last decade. In 2025, cotton production at the farm level was valued at $36 billion, wool, silk and luxury animal fibres totaled $9 billion, JACKS fibres about $3 billion, and all other fibres together were valued at $1.3 billion
As of 2025, more than 40 million households were involved in producing natural fibres, including 24 million involved in cotton production, 7 million raising sheep, silkworms and luxury animals for fibre, about 9 million producing JACKS fibres and another 2 million producing hemp, flax, sisal, and other vegetable fibres.
Chairwoman Elke Hortmeyer announced at the end of the meeting that the DNFI awards ceremony would once again be held the following day with the support of Messe Frankfurt, and that DNFI members would also be represented with a stand at the Techtextil trade fair in April 2026. She also invited all members to the next meeting on 26 March 2026 in Bremen at the Cotton Exchange building.
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The 13 presented documents from the meeting are available as pdf downloads in the DNFI member section of the website.
