Human Hair Waste: How Much Is There, and Could It Transform Sustainable Manufacturing?

Human Material Loop is a project researching ways to integrate human hair as a sustainable industrial material within a zero-waste recycling system

Introducing human hair into the production chain – Zsofia Kollar presents Human Material Loop

As population growth and living standards rise, we must begin to treat waste as a valuable commodity we can no longer afford to discard. Human Material Loop aims to position human hair in the textile industry, restoring value to a type of waste we physically produce every day.

Zsofia Kollar, the project’s founder and designer, explains the characteristics and potential of human hair: “We are a company that processes waste human hair from hair salons to develop high-performance textiles. Our long-term goal is to create a global system where hair is no longer thrown away. We also want to make a bigger impact by integrating it into the textile industry, thereby reducing our current reliance on cotton and wool. We plan to achieve this by forming partnerships and collaborations with other companies, so human hair can become a commonly used material in the production system.”

How much is human hair waste?

Over 72 million kilograms (about 159 million pounds) of human hair waste end up in landfills every year in Europe alone. Hair is a culturally significant element—precious on our heads but immediately discarded once cut. Kollar believes this can change.

“Human hair is a keratin protein fiber, just like wool or alpaca. It has a slightly larger diameter, but otherwise behaves very similarly. It has extremely high performance capabilities and is as strong as steel. The combined hair from one person’s head could support twelve tonnes, equivalent to two elephants. It can withstand up to seventy percent deformation before breaking, meaning it has excellent elastic recovery. It’s also lightweight, with a very low carbon footprint, and no one is allergic to hair—an important aspect for developing a new material. Historically, hair has been used for thermal insulation in submarines and houses, as well as an absorbent material. One kilogram of hair can absorb up to seven liters of oil.”

The first piece developed by Human Material Loop was a tapestry, highlighting hair’s oil-absorbing capability by infusing it with essential oils.

‘Dutch Blond’: the prototype jumper made entirely from human hair

Kollar created a sweater made of 100% recycled Dutch blonde hair collected in Amsterdam. Currently, the yarn is produced at a spinning mill in Italy, but she hopes to develop all materials locally in the future.

“We developed this jumper so that hair could be perceived like any other fiber on the market. We’re working to shift people’s mindsets. The production of ‘Dutch Blond’ began with an investigation into how hair salons deal with hair waste. We asked where the hair goes and if we could collect it for use in garment production. In the beginning, we ran a pilot program with fifteen salons in Amsterdam to see their operations and gauge how challenging it would be to separate hair from other waste. We now work with a logistics partner that connects with more than a thousand salons in the Netherlands, collecting aluminum, plastic, and paper waste for other manufacturers while sending us the hair.”

Unlike animal hair, which requires harsh chemicals to remove blood and other contaminants, human hair needs only to be steamed before processing. According to Kollar: “All types of hair can be used, so we don’t select or sort any of the salon waste—we just collect everything together, even dyed or bleached hair. Many people assume that dyed hair is damaged, but the structure remains largely unchanged. During manufacture, very short hair fibers can’t be spun into yarn, but we’ve developed another use for them so that no waste is produced. Around eighty-five percent of the collected hair can be spun into yarn.”

The production process for hair fiber closely resembles traditional textile manufacturing. “Knitting allows us to avoid assembling different pieces cut from woven fabric. It’s 100% hair—no glue, no additives, no chemicals. After we spin the yarn, we hand it over to a fashion designer for knitting.” Looking ahead, Kollar and Human Material Loop plan to partner with brands in other sectors, including home furnishings and interiors.

A biodegradable, nitrogen-rich fiber that could benefit plants

Because human hair is a keratin protein fiber, it biodegrades similarly to wool, taking up to two years to break down depending on soil moisture, climate, and other conditions. Hair is composed of about seventy percent nitrogen—an essential element for plants—so Human Material Loop is exploring how hair can be used as a bio-fertilizer.

Energy usage for processing hair is also minimal. While wool requires up to twenty-five washings before spinning, Kollar’s process needs only one: “That’s mainly because our raw material is already almost production-ready, as individuals take care of their hair until it’s cut. Unlike many other materials, hair requires no cultivation, no land or labor, and very little water.”

Advantages of human hair

As outlined in Human Material Loop’s report, hair has many positive qualities. Technically, it is abundant, non-toxic, and non-irritating to the skin, making it hypoallergenic to work with. Being lightweight, it can be easily transported—even by carbon-neutral methods like bicycles within cities. Its thermal insulation and absorption capabilities can be applied in construction or other heavy-duty areas, such as cleaning up oil spills or scenting indoor spaces.

There is also no risk of identifying an individual from the hair collected for Human Material Loop, as only the follicle at the base of a hair strand contains DNA. Barber-cut hair typically lacks the follicle, so no nuclear DNA is present.

Human Material Loop

A company exploring the potential of waste human hair to create sustainable products and promote a zero-impact economy. Founded in 2021 by designer Zsofia Kollar, its first product is ‘Dutch Blond,’ a fully biodegradable jumper knitted entirely from human hair fiber.