In 2014, Freitag developed a new fabric called F-ABRIC, a new raw material to work with. Developed in-house from scratch, using bast fibers produced with a minimum of resources within 2500 kilometers of headquarters, they are rugged and completely biodegradable. F-ABRIC thus more than lives up to the FREITAG philosophy to think and act in cycles. Freitag currently employs more than 80 people and, due to its successful business, is planning to increase the team even more.

Many garments are traditionally made of materials coming from countries far away from where the garment is bought by the end consumer. To produce these materials, chemicals are used, harming the environemnt and also the health of consumers. After use, garments are usually sent to landfills, where they are disposed generatinc waste, or to incineration plants, where they are burnt, generating emissions that pollute the air and water.

Freitag, a Swiss company that has followed circular economy principles since its foundation, developed a new material in 2014 called F-ABRIC. F-ABRIC products are made of materials from hemp and flax fibres, all of which grown locally. Compared to the production processes of more common textiles, the journey from fibre to finished product is just a short trip for F-ABRIC since all of the production stages take place within a 2500-kilometre radius of their factory in Zurich. In addition, as few chemicals as possible are used during the cultivation and further processing of F-ABRIC, meaning that F-ABRIC corresponds to Product Class I of the Oeko-Tex® Standard.

The company has put the end of the product life cycle at the beginning of the development process and designed their garments, including the labels, shirt buttons and other components, to be fully biodegradable from scratch. Anyone who has to sorrowfully say goodbye to their F-ABRIC product after many happy years together doesn’t have to toss it in the trash but rather on the compost pile. F-ABRIC textiles are 100 % naturally biodegradable – including threads and selvage. A piece of clothing thus becomes fertile soil for new raw materials and the cycle continues. F-ABRIC will biodegrade completely within around a couple of months if you throw it on the compost. All it takes to let it rot in heaven without leaving residues is a damp, warm compost heap – and a little help from the busy inhabitants of the pile.

F-ABRIC therefore produces less emissions from transportation, uses less chemicals for production, and generates less and better waste after use, compared to traditional clothing.

Photo on Freitag website