Future of fabric – plants

Good news everyone – sustainability in fashion is on the rise

Greenpeace reports that, since 2011, 15% of the global textile sector have committed to reducing their environmental impact.

That’s a pretty good start!

There is, however, a LOT of work to do.

We’ve been exploring the world of sustainable fashion to find out how innovators are making fashion greener.

In previous posts we’ve looked at fabrics made from food waste and liquids. This time we look into the surprising ways plants become fabric – sustainably of course.

Eucalyptus

Tencel make fabric out of wood pulp from Eucalyptus trees.

The trees are pulped, reduced to a cellulose solution and then spun into a fabric.

Tencel have produced a range of garments with this method including denim, activewear and also bed linens.

The end product can be recycled as well as being biodegradable.
A sustainability two-for-one!

Kelp

You may not be aware that kelp is one of the fastest growing organisms on earth – up to ten times faster than bamboo!

The team at Algiknit have developed an extrusion process that takes biopolymers found in kelp and turns them into filament, which they can then make into a ‘bio yarn’.

Using the ‘bio yarn’ Algitknit make products to shape to reduce waste.

Most recently these guys have designed a very futuristic line of trainers called Algikicks – which have a Tron-themed Flyknit vibe. What do you think?

Whatever your thoughts, we can safely say they look pretty cool for a kelp-based product!

Fancy yourself a fashion eco-warrior?

If you’re a follower of sustainable clothing or design eco-fashion, we’d love to hear from you. Send us your snaps on Instagram or Twitter and we’ll share them on our social feeds.

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