A thousand threads: corn fibers, fossil fuels, and the myth of sustainable textile futures

Abstract

Textile transitions focus on the replacement of petrochemical synthetic fibers, which account for approximately 67 percent of global textile production. Substituting “non-renewable” petroleum resources with “renewable” agricultural feedstocks has been framed as an ideal path to a sustainable textile future. Polylactic acid (PLA) is a type of synthetic polymer produced through the fermentation and polymerization of agricultural resources, primarily corn. As one of the most successful commercialized biobased textiles, however, PLA’s role in reducing reliance on fossil fuel remains contested. This paper examines the world’s largest PLA producer, NatureWorks, as a case study. It analyzes publicly available texts around NatureWorks PLA, including corporate websites, technical publications, industry reports, certification documents, and relevant U.S. government records. It addresses two central questions. First, how does NatureWorks use discourse to present PLA as a vision of a defossilized and sustainable textile future? To answer this question, the paper employs discourse analysis to examine how narratives of “nature” and “simplicity” are mobilized in corporate sustainability discourse. NatureWorks sidelines issues such as intensive chemical inputs, high energy consumption, and GMO controversies in corn cultivation and PLA industrial production. Second, what is the relationship between PLA – presented as a representative case of contemporary textile transition – and the fossil fuel dependency it claims to displace? To answer this question, I draw on STS concepts of momentum, trajectories, and fossil fuel inheritances. First, I examine institutional connections to legacy fossil fuel and petrochemical companies. The development and expansion of NatureWorks PLA depend heavily on collaborations with fossil fuel and petrochemical corporations in the US, Japan, and Thailand. Likewise, certifications that the material is biodegradable are governed by petrochemical firms. Second, I examine technological linkages to legacy fossil fuel and petrochemical companies. The fertilizers and pesticides used for producing corn for PLA are largely derived from fossil fuel sources. Furthermore, the production of PLA uses the same synthetic ammonia technology as those used in nylon production. Through each of these connections, the petrochemical industry continues to shape PLA production, even while corporate sustainability discourse constructs a sustainable textile myth that obscures these continuities. This study provides important insights into how contemporary textile transitions are constructed, how their promises can be critically examined, and how future textile transitions might be rethought.