Are biobased synthetics environmentally sound or just as bad as their petrochemical alternatives?

How cool would it be if cities could produce polyester from their own biofuel made from residents’ food waste? What if large companies could begin to implement systems that managed entire supply chains, ensuring a clean and fairly produced textile? What if we could develop schemes where we could always recycle or easily compost anything we produce, and eliminate landfills?

Biobased synthetic textiles like Tencel, Modal, and corn and soy fabrics have become a heavily invested area of research and development in modern textile experimentation in the more than $400 billion textile industry. Recent technologies have provided a platform for manipulation of natural plant matter, producing engineered textiles that are essentially considered “natural” as they are derived from plants. This chemical manipulation has allowed fiber and textile producers to come up with amazing, high performance materials that are especially sought after by the sportswear and outerwear industries. Although made from the fiber of trees and plants, can these manipulated textiles really be considered natural?

Scientists and developers at various fiber producing companies have been experimenting with manmade fibers made from cellulose since 1980. Cellulose is an organic compound that makes up 33 percent of all plant matter, and is commercially derived from natural sources such as wood and cotton. Manmade cellulose fibers are usually spun and woven into the fabrics commonly known as rayon viscose, however, the chemical processing used to produce conventional rayon is very energy intensive and wasteful. Often made from bamboo nowadays, rayon viscose manufacturing consists of a process using approximately 13 toxic chemical solvents, as verified by reports from SRI Consulting for the chemical industry.

However, scientists have come up with a different method of cellulose textile production. Currently, cellulosic raw materials such as eucalyptus wood, beech wood, corn, hemp, flax and even nettles, are undergoing lab experiments for genetic manipulation and nanotechnology. This means that these plant fibers are changed at a microscopic scale, which allows them to be engineered for high-performance qualities. Various, proprietary production methods for these cellulose fibers have been developed in the last 10 years, which integrate low-impact practices. For example, the production of Lenzing’s Tencel fiber leaches no toxic chemicals into the air or water, and re-uses 99.5 percent of the solvent needed for processing the fiber into a spinnable form.

Tencel, Modal, and Ingeo textiles all belong to the manmade cellulosics group, and have been showing up on the clothing tags at several brand-name stores. These fibers are often spun with other natural fibers like cotton or silk to produce some of the most comfortable and wearable fabrics. Although environmentally sound production processes have been developed, the main issue with these fibers is the land and resources necessary for growing raw material crops. The use of pesticides, water, and energy, along with  soil erosion for cultivation are also issues that can negate positive impacts of a ‘natural’ material. The long supply chain of yarn-spinning, knitting, weaving, dying and garment making that follows fiber production also complicates and effaces much of the sustainability efforts practiced in fiber production, as do the effects of consumer use through washing and wear. Cellulose fabrics do not always accept dyes well, necessitating possible use of harmful chemicals, complicating matters even further.

Another revolutionary, manmade material is plant-based PET, which is a type of polyester. Polyester is conventionally made through refining oil and natural gas but Japanese company Toray has developed a method for producing the fiber from biofuel rather than crude oil. Conventional polyester contains phthalates, or chemicals used to make plastic more flexible, which can leach into our bodies through our skin. Phthalates have been proven to disrupt the normal functioning of reproductive organs, which can lead to early breast development, testicular atrophy and reduced sperm counts.  Toray has worked with biofuel producer Gevo to develop the fiber, which reportedly is made with ethanol derived from sugar cane. Crop cultivation and land management also become issues with this process, although the reduced amount of oil drilling and chemical intensive processing is a great step forward.

There is no doubt that biobased synthetics are more environmentally sound than their petrochemical alternatives. However, unless they prove to be solutions that create new, closed-loop systems for the production of textiles, they only become processes that make a slightly smaller negative impact than our current ones. Instead of growing acre upon acre of sugar cane or corn for ethanol production, engineering and technology could help create solutions that utilize our waste as a resource.

Image: Lenzing AG

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Column“Best regards and please continue to bark up the right tree.”

These were the closing words of wisdom I received from Oliver Heintz, founder and managing director behind BARK CLOTH®. His email salutation is potentially playful or maybe meant to leave a mark on your memory. Regardless, through this signature, I was inevitably inspired to trek deeper into deconstructing the fibers of the forest, to uncover the origins of two sustainable materials in particular: bark cloth and Lenzing’s tencel.

BARK CLOTH

Derived from the Mutuba tree (wild common fig), Heintz’s BARK CLOTH® is the pioneer in developing fabric from this wood-based material; they have been cooperating with small-scale organic farmers in Uganda since 1999. Traditionally, bark cloth is manufactured by the Baganda people; in their process, the inner bark is harvested during the rainy season, and then transformed into a soft fabric by using various wooden hammers. With such an organic creation process, bark cloth can have extensive varying textures and shades of brown.

It may seem perplexing to imagine bark as a material that you could actually wear. But remarkably, the process of stripping bark from trees and removing the soft inner layer to make it into softer, wearable garments – like loincloths and purses – is thought to have been around since 4,000 B.C., where it began in southeastern China. For the Ugandan-Germany family venture BARK CLOTH®, the material’s essence is undeniably distinguished: “Its strong contrast between archaic authenticity and state-of-the-art textile finishing processes generates a convincing effect for nearly unlimited applications.”

In the nineteenth century, bark cloth production slowed with the introduction of cotton cloth by Arab traders. However, the Baganda people have continued to embrace this traditional craft, particularly for their cultural and spiritual functions. UNESCO even named “the art of bark cloth making in Uganda” as a World Cultural Heritage site in 2008.

Bark Cloth – available on Source4Style

With roots of holistic capacities, the source – the Mutuba tree – serves as a significant sustainable resource in East Africa. It is considered one of the most multipurpose plants, especially in areas where intensive banana-coffee lakeshore land use systems are in place. Its roots transfer nutrients from deep soil areas closer to the surface, while its canopy above shades the banana and coffee shrub. Not only does the Mutumba’s presence boost crop yields, but it also serves as construction wood, fast growing firewood, its leaves rot quickly and function as an excellent fertilizer, and it also possesses medicinal properties – tea can be made from its leaves to treat a sore throat, while the tree’s latex is a skin ointment to cover wounds.

A refined, more “finished” variation of bark cloth, BARKTEX® seems to be proving just as multifaceted as its mother tree. Currently, DLR Aerospace Centre is testing it for use in airplane wings, while the company is also cooperating with the Freiburg Rainforest Institute in an effort to develop ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable materials for use in sports equipment and outdoor gear.

Bark cloth belts at Christian Siriano SS11 at NYFW

And, yes – bark cloth has now pounded its way into the high-end fashion sector as well. As one of the earliest members of Source4Style, Christian Siriano discovered the material through their sourcing platform, and designed a collection of belts that were featured in his Spring 2011 Collection at New York Fashion Week. Others have fashioned bark cloth into trench coats, shoes, and mind-blowing gorgeous dresses.

DIY extraordinaire and author of P.S. I Made This, Erica Domesek, recently acquired a bundle of bark cloth.

As she tells EcoSalon, “One of the beauties of what I do is that I’m attracted to materials. It’s kind of like when you buy a really nice dress, and you save it for a special occasion. I’m that way with materials – I hold onto them until I know exactly what I want to do. The bark cloth is definitely not an everyday material – it’s something special.”

We can’t wait to see what fabulous creation Domesek evolves from the wood-ware, when the time is right to let it shine.

TENCEL

TENCEL® is a fiber procured from the wood pulp of eucalyptus trees, and produced by Lenzing, the only fiber producer in the world to possess the European Union Eco-label. So, to chop it down to the basics: excess wood pulp is processed into a thread that can be woven into super-soft tencel fabric.

U.S. Marketing Manager of Lenzing, Tricia Carey tries to break it down for us. Basically, Lenzing purchases FSC-Certified wood pulp, then adds a non-toxic solvent called amine oxide. This solvent goes through a closed loop cycle and then the fiber is extruded through the spinnerettes and cut into specific staple lengths.

Not only is tencel biodegradable, its fibral makeup is innately formatted for comfort. As you can see by the above image, the surface of tencel is smoother and more supple; wool tends to be more scaly, while cotton is irregular and rough in texture.

“Tencel has been commercial for 20 years and in that time the expansion has been amazing. Most recently we have seen more use in activewear garments and denim. Tencel is used at retailers like J. Crew, Banana Republic, Gap, Nordstrom, Victoria’s Secret, Ann Taylor, Club Monaco, Target, J. Jill, Macy’s and more,” Carey tells EcoSalon.

J.Crew Tencel Shirt

As cotton production becomes more difficult to keep up with due to population increases, economics, water waste, and inconsistent climate shifts, man made cellulosic fibers (MMCF) may be the fabrics of the future.

Carey tells EcoSalon, “We can clearly see the demands on the earth will continue to increase as the global population continues to grow.  Land will be needed for food crops and water for drinking. There is a ‘Cellulosic Gap’ where there will be a demand for more regenerated cellulosic fibers, like viscose, modal and TENCEL®.”

So, what does the future of fashionable fabrics hold for us? And, will cotton no longer be the fabric of our lives?

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Image: Raymond Meier

The post THREADED: Wearable Woods – From Forests Into Fashionable Fabrics appeared first on EcoSalon.

Canadian designer Jessie May’s self-named line of casual knitwear has been making its way into U.S. boutiques over the past few years and the pieces have become a sleeper-hit among eco-minded notables.

The newest lines feature an increasingly organic selection of bamboo, creamy cotton “cashmere” and modal jersey knitwear. The line is divided into three distinctive categories: “organic tribal glam”, “coastal prairie nostalgia” and “sunny vintage tropics”.

Jessie May had me at ‘”organic” and enticed me with her philosophy of using a “therapeutic color pallet”. An earthy rainbow of hues ranges from vanilla to poppy, buttercup and chamomile. Easy on the eyes would be an understatement – these pieces are mesmerizing.

The integration of lyocell into many of the fabric blends offers a sexy, silken touch. Lyocell is a sustainably produced wood fiber sometimes called a “cotton alternative”. The soft feel of lyocell graces much of Jessie May’s playfully elegant inventory.

Jessie May’s designs are like sexy lullabies – delicate, flowing and surprising.

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