Terug in de tijd: textiel van planten gemaakt

Back in time: textiles made from plants

The environment is increasingly in the news. Many companies are switching to more sustainable solutions. This involves trial and error. Because what sometimes sounds environmentally conscious, may not be as hoped for. However, we would like to highlight a good and interesting idea, which completely fits into our theme: 
Clothes from plants!

Harmful fabrics
Today, clothes are mainly made of cheap but polluting fabrics. This is because textiles are largely made from fossil fuels, which break down very badly once we have processed them into textile fibres. In fact, we only recycle about 1% of the 20 kg of textile fibres that we consume per person per year. The rest ends up in landfills, in nature or somewhere else. This results in enormous pollution on our planet. Scientists therefore agree that we must switch to plant-based sources that break down better. By 2050, we would only be making garments that consist of textile fibres made from plants. So actually, we would be going back in time. More than a century ago, the majority of our clothes were also made from plants.

New raw materials and techniques
Until now, we have been used to raw materials such as cotton, wool and linen, for example. But it is important that we also discover new types of fabrics and invent new techniques. Of course, this requires investment in science.

So is it even possible?
We still have 30 years to achieve this goal. But if the right alternatives are found for fossil textile fibres, it is feasible. Certainly if we reuse much more textile waste, we are already going in the right direction. But the best thing is if we do not use synthetic raw materials for textiles at all.

Maybe that special plant you have in mind is a good raw material for clothing and in 20 or 30 years' time you will be wearing your favourite plants incorporated in your fabric.

Did you know that there is a myth about jewel orchids, which fits in perfectly with the theme of fabric from plants? The story describes that the beautiful shimmering leaves of these plants were pieces of the fabric of the Goddess's robe.