Corn becomes a popular fiber.

Although the U.S. is largest producer of corn crops in the world, it still comes as a surprise that cornfields cover a whopping 72.7 million acres of land in the country. A high yield of fibrous matter from the crop has brought about developments in processing corn fibers for spinning yarns and fabrics, alongside technologies that bond corn fibers together to create non-woven materials like diapers and plastic containers.

Much of the fibrous part of the corn plant (stalk and leaves) is fed to animals, although a material called PLA (poly-lactic acid) is fast becoming an alternative that allows corn fibers to be in AND on our bodies.

Image: Nature Works LLC

During the last decade, a fiber processing company called Nature Works has been developing corn fibers for large-scale production of plant-based plastics and textile materials under the product name Ingeo. Acting as a replacement for polyesters, PLA is a fiber that can be turned into a range of textile grade yarns from its pelletized form. The material is said to use 20-50% less petroleum based resources than polyesters, is compostable and can be grown and processed annually to yield high amounts of fiber.

Considered part of the plant-based synthetics fiber group, PLA is derived from a plant sugar called dextrose obtained mostly from corn, as well as sugar beets, wheat or sugar cane, all common and necessary food crops. However, a somewhat green-washed notion that corn fabrics, or dextrose-based fabrics and materials are environmentally-friendly because they are “natural” and come from plants is covering up some of the larger issues in the corn and sugar processing industries.

Image: Fiber Innovation Technology

Up to 85% of the corn grown in the U.S. is genetically engineered, and incorporated into food like corn chips, cereals, sodas and peanut butter, as are the several other highly refined and chemically infested sources of sugar. Cargill was the first company behind the development of PLA, and coincidentally also the world’s largest producer of genetically engineered corn crops.

Fossil fuels are still largely employed for the harvest, processing, chemical production and shipping within the corn market, keeping the oil industry closely tied to corn production. Basically, PLA can be seen as a way to cover up the degradation caused by genetic engineering and chemical processing of resources for the food and livestock feed industries. So does supporting the production of corn-based textiles then give manufacturers another excuse to push farmers towards growing GMO crops and creating mono-crop cultures?

Image: Fiber Innovation Technology

Nature Works has come up with an offsetting program where buyers can choose to receive PLA fibers with GeneScan certified non-GMO corn, as well as a half GMO, half non-GMO fiber material. But why doesn’t Nature Works drive the production of completely GMO-free PLA, and even better, the production of PLA made from organic corn? The company claims to be looking into other sources of cellulosic feedstocks, but have not yet made a leap that excludes genetic modification or chemical intensive processing.

It seems that if the company were truly interested in developing sustainable material options for companies that require fibers, they would invest in experimenting with diverse materials that are by-products of environmentally friendly processes. Nature Works is looking into using agricultural waste from the rice and corn industries for fiber production in the name of closed-loop systems, but can that be called anything more that greenwashing if the sources for agricultural waste are not sustainably produced?

Image: Nature Works LLC

PLA has gained favor with outerwear companies that are always on the lookout for greener material options, such as Portland-based Nau and REI. Patagonia, one of the most environmentally conscious outerwear giants has, however, rejected the fiber. They view Nature Works’ choice to incorporate GMO corn in some of their materials as a largely negative factor that will not change the production processes of the corn industry in the long run.

Patagonia has taken a very realistic stance towards PLA production, and one that will hopefully cause apparel producers to put pressure on fiber suppliers to completely exclude GMO crops from their processes. PLA is a great technological development, but the industries and processes it currently relies on do not make it a sustainable option. That is why all of us along the demand and supply lines of fibers must begin to understand how important the sources and processing of these fibers are to the health of our planet and ourselves.

The post Fiber Watch: Corn Spun Into Fibers is Natural, Right? appeared first on EcoSalon.

Granted, Apple’s iPhones boast some sustainable attributes: PVC-free handsets, headphones and USB cables, bromine-free printed circuit board, mercury-free LCD display, arsenic-free display glass, mostly recycled packaging, and a power adapter which outperforms the strictest global energy efficiency standards, you’d be hard pressed to find a die-hard environmentalist toting an iPhone around on their planet-saving endeavors. Calling Jane Goodall? (Alas! Even the famous conservationist sells a chimpanzee laden iPhone cover on her site!)

So, given our technologically inclined culture and need to stay connected via various electronic devices, it would be nearly impossible to go without. You can help assuage your gadget wielding guilt by outfitting your iPhone with an innovative new cover from bioserie that is made from plants!

Bioserie’s iPhone cover is made from a blend of biodegradable, bioplastic materials which are derived entirely from plants that are annually renewable and sustainably harvested. A minimum of 90 percent Ingeo biopolymer – which is made in the U.S. – comprises these covers, allowing you to disconnect your association with cases made from petrochemicals. Ingeo has the lowest carbon footprint of any commercially available plastic, releasing far less greenhouse gases into the atmosphere with its production (in comparison to oil based plastic), and it is industrially compostable.

Let’s talk design aesthetic details. Bioserie covers are available in the following hues: white, green, orange, red, lavender and black. They feature a textured surface which provides an ergonomic grip, and the cover is sturdy and supportive, to protect against scratches and impact. I use a Bioserie cover on my iPhone, in green of course, and my favorite feature is the four tiny ridges that discreetly jut out from the front of the cover to protect the screen from damage when it’s in a face down position. I also like that it is lightweight (weighing only 14 grams) so it doesn’t add bulkiness to my iPhone, and that it leaves all of the controls easily accessible.

Bioserie will be expanding their collection by launching iPhone 4 and iPad accessories in mid-August.

Bioserie iPhone 3G/3GS covers cost $34.95, and Bioserie also makes covers for the iPod Touch and the iPod Nano.

The post I Love It When My iPhone Case Is Made from Plants appeared first on EcoSalon.

I’ve loved what NatureVsfuture® designer Nina Valenti has been doing for awhile now, but how to accurately explain her collection isn’t easy to do since it’s so different than a lot of other lines.

That’s why when I went to the NatureVsfuture® site and saw her describing it as an “Artistic expression of organic futurism via clothing,” I was happy she could do it for me.

The label’s name was inspired by the designer’s belief that there is a “constant struggle between nature and future, a pressure between organic forces and technological ones. The more we advance the more we need to consider nature before we deplete it. In this tension to find balance is the living energy of the collection and hence the name.” says Valenti.

Her visions of balance lie somewhere in blending sculptural design with natural and sustainable fabrics like organic cotton, organic wool, hemp, soy, bamboo, seacell® (seaweed), lyocell (wood pulp), Ingeoâ„¢ (created from corn), along with recycled and technological fabrics such as Polartec® (made from soda pop bottles or industry waste).

And by her incredible talent in persuading us that futuristic is also very wearable, our futuristic visions of earth fashion are saved (we won’t be wearing recycled tin foil suits and cotton booties while walking through our galactic space vessels).

Thanks for clarifying Nina, and for the record, I’ll wear your angled dresses and asymetrical shirts anytime.

Want to try your hand at participating in a futuristic, eco-fashion utopia sometime soon?

Then meet Nina and a full line-up of sustainable designers at EcoSalon Shops! in NYC on June 4th!

The post EcoSalon Shops! Presents: NatureVsFuture appeared first on EcoSalon.