DOST’s Innovation Center for Yarns and Textiles: Enabling Production of Philippine-made Natural Textile Fiber-Based Products
By: Sharmainne Rhey B. Caoili
Technology Transfer, Information and Promotions Staff
TAGUIG CITY – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is one with the nation in celebrating the Made-in-the-Philippines Products Week, August 17 – 23 of every year, as stated in Proclamation No. 76 by the late President Manuel Quezon in 1936. For the past 57 years, the celebration has highlighted the country’s end products, the homegrown industries, and the creative talent integral to economic independence and nation-building strategies.
One of DOST’s initiatives to actively support the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to produce 100% local products is through the establishment of the Innovation Center for Yarns and Textiles (ICYT), a yarn-spinning facility run by the DOST - Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI) located in Bicutan, Taguig City.
The ICYT is a premier facility that converts natural and indigenous raw materials into blended spun yarns for the production of fabrics for diverse textile applications. These yarn blends are crafted with natural textile fibers (NTFs) of abaca, pineapple, banana, and bamboo, among others, and combined with cotton at a production capacity of 150 to 180 kilograms of yarns per day. With its limited textile production capacity, this pilot plant has already produced more than 13,000 kilograms of innovative yarns since its establishment in 2015 until 2019.
The past four years saw an increase in demand for yarn production, providing the textile needs of academic institutions, and MSMEs all over the country. Through the years, ICYT also attracted the fashion industry and government institutions to tap the facility’s services for their textile requirements. Even as the ICYT is not configured to mass-produce, it aims to support the local manufacturers to boost their global competitive advantage using locally-available raw materials.
Aside from yarn production, the ICYT also houses the Institute’s Weaving and Dyeing Facilities that offer processing services, including the conduct of in-house and regional training courses.
By far, the ICYT is the center of NTF yarn-spinning facility in the country. This facility enables the continuous manufacture of local textiles by makers and manufacturers in the Philippines to spur innovation and patronage of local products and services amidst the onslaught of foreign products. True to the spirit of TELA 100% Pilipinas, let us maximize and take advantage of our local products and services, and support domestic production while strengthening nationalistic fervor among Filipinos.
______________________________________________________________________For more information on the services offered by the PTRI - the Innovation Center for Yarns and Textiles, kindly send an email to the DOST-PTRI Mechanical and Chemical Processing Section at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
