Natural plant-based fibers and fabrics

Here we are going to take a look at plant based natural fiber made fabrics. In this category by far the leading material is cotton, which accounts for about 25 percent of all globally produced textiles each year. That's why we have dedicated a separated article for it - please read about cotton here.
Other examples of plant based natural fibers are: jute, coir, linen, sisal, hemp, ramie, kapok and abaca. All those are described below, including farming and manufacturing processes, most common uses and more.
Excluding cotton, collectively other plant based natural fibers have a market share of almost 6% of all fiber production.

JUTE

(kenaf and some other allied fibers have quite similar characteristics to jute)
Jute fibers are extracted from jute plants - thin plants that grow form 1 meter tall to an impressive heights of up to 4 meters. It is an annual crop originated in Southern Asia in areas of high humidity pron to monsoons, as it needs more then 60% humidity on plain soils with some amount of standing water for optimal development. There are two main varieties of the plant being cultivated: white jude and tossa jute.
The fibers are present along the stem of the plant and are as long as it's height - usually 1-4 meters long. History of jute cultivation and use begun thousands of years ago by Indus valley civilization and it continues to evolve ever since.
Jute is second to cotton only in yearly natural plant based fibers production and it's variety of uses. It constitutes nearly 3% of total global fibers production and 10-11% of all natural plant based fibers. It is very affordable fiber that can be used in wide varieties of applications.

Jute production processes

Production process begins, of coarse, with planting the crop's seeds in previously cultivated soil. Farming of jute requires very little fertilizers and pesticides use, if any at all. Approximately 4 months after it was plant the crop is fully grown and ready to be harvested. Jute harvesting is performed by hand by cutting plant's stem near the ground, while roots are left in the soil. Then plants are placed in water nearby for sometime for the process called retting - a biological process of bacterial decomposition of binding agents in the plant that hold fibers together.
After that process is finished it is pretty easy to strip fibers of the stem, which is done manually, before further treatment in processing mills. Biological retting process can be replaced by chemicals. Chemical way is more expensive and therefore very rarely employed, which is better from environmental point of view because the chemicals are harmful. After fibers are processed in the mills, they can be woven into fabric and then dyed, printed on etc., if requested. Depending on intended usage, most of jute fabric applications do not required dying, which is again spares the use of some harmful chemicals.
For apparel use of jute some additional softening technics are implicated to reduce this fiber's natural roughness. Those technics mostly involve treatment of fibers with chemicals.
Jude is, and has been historically, mainly produces in Southern Asia, especially in Ghangas Delta region. India and Bangladesh are responsible for 60 and 30 present of total annual production respectively. Most of jute usage is localized to Southern Asia too. Other parts of the world use it in a few applications quite frequently, especially Europe and North America.

Common uses of jute

Jute is a rough fiber, it's very durable yet breathable, possesses high tensile strength, low extensibility, good insulation and water absorption (although wet jude looses some of it's strength) and antistatic properties. Those characteristics make it very useful in a variety of applications.
Examples of industrial jude fabric uses are geo-textiles for different purposes - landscaping and erosion prevention of soils, sackcloth for industrial bags, ropes, canvas and floor coverings; for home furnishes e.g. carpets, rugs, curtains and furniture coverings; in apparel and clothing jude is mostly used for making sweaters, jackets and shoes as it is relatively rough fabric and is uncomfortable in direct contact with the skin.
Jute's bio-degratability making that material ideal for manufacturing containers for planting and replanting trees- those containers won't prevent the roots to pass through, yet their later will be digested by surrounding biological materials.
In past decades jute lost it's place to synthetic fibers, but recently it is coming back due to it's environmental sustainability, in contrast to most synthetics. The fabric can also be blended with other types of materials, both synthetic and natural - plant or animal based. We advise you to check all fabric components before purchasing any product.

Pest control and environmental impact of jute

As jute plant is being farmed in it's natural environment, there is very little need for additional chemicals to help it grow. That includes fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides etc., that most likely hasn't been used at all. It is also a natural fiber, which means it is 100% biodegradable. That property is an important one for some of jute's leading applications.
Jute fibers are recyclable, it's products can be successfully recycled more then once. It truly is one of the world's most environmentally-friendly fabrics out there.

Ethical labor treatment issues in jute production

There is no secret that worker's exploitation and mistreatment still exists in agriculture and textile industries. Jute production, sadly, is no exception. Even though there are issues in jute production, they are not as frequently surface as for cotton. Also, it seems that local small and medium sized producers tend to treat their workforce somewhat better that large corporations, unfortunately, reported to do.

LINEN

Linen fabric is derived entirely from flax plant. Flax fibers are typically significantly longer then other natural counterparts, that property gives linen some of it's interesting and important characteristics which have lead people through history to utilize this fabric.

History of linen use

Flax plant fabric is probably the most ancient fabric we can find. Historical evidence suggests it was used for clothing even thousands of years ago by ancient Mesopotamians, Sumerians, ancient Egyptians and Israelites.
The earliest evidence of linen like fabric use was found in a cave in Caucasus region in modern day Georgia, dated approximately 36,000 years before present. Egyptian Pharaohs were found in their tombs wrapped in linen which at time of discovery was intact and very well preserved - point well earned for fabric's longevity.
Linen was mentioned in the Old Testament as fabric worn by ancient Jewish priests and in the New Testament, where it considered to be clean and pure material, worthy even for angels' clothing. Linen has truly a remarkable history.

Linen production

Linen is the only fabric produced in mass scale in Western Europe. Lead producer of linen is France, which is responsible for more than 80% off all flax fabric in the world. Other significant producers located in other Western European countries, in Eastern Europe and also in China.
Flax plants are grown in spacious fields, where it mostly naturally irrigated by rains. During summer months, when plant is fully grown, they are harvested with their roots (not cut), as long fibers are present in both plant's stem and it's roots. Flax seeds are removed from the rest of the plant and are used in a food industry as they are very healthy and nutritious.
Then flax plants, now without the seeds, are left in the field exposed to moisture to promote bacterial activity (process called retting) in order to separate fibers in the plant from each other. Bacteria that is naturally present on the plant decomposes pectin - a component that binds fibers together in the plant. That long process of bacterial decomposition can be speeded up by using chemicals, process that is more harmful for the environment and fibers themselves, but is still sometimes employed.
In the next step the fibers are dried and treated some more until they are finally ready to be woven or knitted into fabric and then dyed, printed on etc. as requested by costumer. Linen can also be marketed in it's natural color which can potentially reduce the usage of chemicals.
As fibers in flax plants are continuously present along stems and roots of the plant, they are naturally longer then other natural fibers. This feature gives linen it's wonderful properties, like strength, durability and recyclability. Nevertheless flax fibers are less flexible compared to other natural fibers and therefore it is harder and thus more expensive to weave them into a fabric.

Linen usage

Linen global market share in textile industry is only roughly 0.73 percent, which accounts for about 2.3% of total natural fibers market or 2.5% of plant based natural fibers. In recent history linen was traditionally used as bed and bath textiles, e.g. towels or bed sheets, linen handkerchiefs was famously used in the beginning of the 20th century, canvas for arts, in books etc. It was always considered to be a fabric of social elites because it was never cheap.
Modern common uses of linen fabrics are in apparel production, bed sheets and baths related fabrics, apparel textiles, canvas for painting, dough covering fabric in some bakeries and in paper currency in many countries, for instance US currency consists of almost 25% linen and 75% cotton.
This fiber is still relatively expensive, especially in North America where it's cost is significantly higher compared to cotton. In Europe linen prices are more reasonable compared to cotton, even though it is still significantly more expensive.

Pest control and environmental impact of linen production

Unfortunately, flax cultivation is depending on herbicides and pesticides against insects and weeds that is harmful for crop development. Somewhat good news is that due to keeping harvested plants in the field for significant time period each year as part of standard production procedure, most of the chemicals are reabsorbed into the ground therefore reducing the need for additional amount for the next season. That is why flax producers are using less pesticides and herbicides then some of the other crop-producing counterparts.
Those chemicals are harmful to the environment and, by design, to the insects present in the field. Clearly, the less of them are used, more negative impact on the environment is spared. Organic farming reduces that impact significantly, sadly it is more expensive and accounts for less then one percent of total flax farming.
There are no significant accusations against the industry regarding workforce mistreatment.
Linen textile production is a relatively small niche, it is time consuming and requires lots of patience. Fabric is characterized by it's durability, high moisture absorbance and thermal insulation properties. Flax plant and therefore linen fabrics are completely biodegradable. Dependent on manufacturer chemical usage on different stages of production, linen can be pretty environmentally sustainable and relatively non-harmful material.

COIR

Coir is a coconut palm tree fiber, extracted from the outer shell (husk) of plant's fruit. It is a byproduct of a coconut farming industry which has been used for centuries in Asian cultures as ship's sewing substance, as well as for ropes, rugs and as other home furnishing products' source material.

Coir production

Coir production is mainly developed in Southeastern Asia, where leading producers of that fiber as well as it's consumers are India and Sri Lanka. Both of those countries combined produce almost 90% of coir in the world, and consume more then half of produced fiber. Coir accounts for nearly 4 percent of natural plant based fiber's production, which equals to market share of about 1% of total annual fibers produced in the world.
Coconuts grow on palm tree year round. They can be harvested at two different stages of their maturity, based on which two distinct coir fiber types produces: brown and white. When fully ripened coconuts are harvested, extracted fibers categorized as brown coir. After the seed (coconut itself) gets removed, remaining parts are soaked in fresh water for retting process to occur - biological decomposition of binding agents between fibers to separate the fibers from each other.
Retting process of brown fiber lasts almost half a year without chemical or mechanical intervention. Brown coir is the strongest of two kinds. Fibers then further separated by their length before they assigned and sent to different uses.
When green coconuts are harvested before their full maturation, resulting fibers are classified as white coir. White coir fibers are white or light brown in color, posses less strength and more flexibility then brown type. Hasks of white coir containing the fibers then soaked in sea water, or alternatively on tides area river deltas where sea/ocean water and river water take turns in covering the ground, for retting process to take place. It usually lasts for more then 8 months, unless supplementary microbes, chemicals or mechanical processes are added to substantially shorten the process.
Mechanical technics have been developed lately to crush the husks for fiber separation instead of retting process. It is dramatically less time consuming, however it shortens the length of derived fibers.
Fibers then separated, washed and dried before being spun into yarn and/or woven into intended products. Rarely coir are dyed or printed on as per the customer request.

Uses of coir

Brown coir fibers are tough and strong, they primarily are used for brushes and floor mats. White fibers on the other hand, are softer and less strong, therefore more applicable to be woven into mats and making ropes. Both types of coir fibers are too tough for apparel products, hence almost never used in that industry.
Fiber's durability and high tensile strength makes it very suitable for geo-textile production, mostly for soil erosion control applications and sacking for industrial packaging. It's bio-degradability as a natural fiber puts it in eco-friendly category of fibers and fabrics.
Material's rot resistivity makes is a great match for outdoor applications. White coir's resistance to salty sea water proven to be suitable for fishing nets, ropes and other maritime uses.
Byproducts obtained during fiber separation, short remaining grains of fiber that was considered to be a waste traditionally, in recent years have found a new use in gardening and agriculture as a potting soil instead or in addition to peat and as soil amendment.

Environmental impact of coir

Coir in all of it's developmental stages is quite resistant to microbial and insecticidal activities. As such, use of pesticides and herbicides is mostly unnecessary. It is also completely biodegradable and as itself being a byproduct of coconut farming industry, which without fiber use will be disposed as waste, might be considered as ecological recycled product.
With that been said, retting processes are known to release biological byproducts into the water, sometimes up to levels of water pollution.

HEMP

Hemp is a fabric derived from tall and thin bush-like plant by the same name. Plants are grown in the field until maturation, then harvested by cutting it's stem little above the ground. Plant then left in the field to dry and later collected to the processing plant, where it gets separated to it's different parts.
Each part of the plant is used for different purposes, for example seeds could be used as bird's feed. Hemp seeds are very nutrient dense and therefore are healthy. Hemp fibers are very strong, they can be used for textile production in apparel, paper, canvas or rope production and as an additive compounds for some building materials.
Hemp plant has a more famous and somewhat controversial brother - a cannabis plant. Hemp is a non psychedelic type of cannabis, it means that this type will not make people high (sorry, folks). Hemp was cultivated thousands of years ago in East Asia.
Recently the leading producer of hemp is China, followed by France. Hemp fabric production is a very small niche (it's market share among all fibers are only few hundredths of a percent) and plant use is prohibited in some countries.
Hemp deceases are quite rare and they almost never spread to significant part of the field. Hemp farmers are also report very low need for pesticides and herbicides, therefore it is environmentally friendly.

Other plant-based natural fibers: sisal, ramie, kapok, abaca

Sisal production and use

Sisal is a plant of Agave species that have a short stem from which sword like leaves grow in circular arrangement. It thrives in tropical or arid climates where no other fiber plants can usually grow, and often aren't suitable for other crops either. Plant is native to Mexico, but in a later centuries was cultivated in other tropical regions as well. Biggest producer of sisal in the world is Brasil, while Mexico is in second place. It is presently produced in amounts equal to 2/3 of a present of total natural plant based fibers.
Sisal fibers located along the outer skin of it's leaves which reach a length of 0.8-1.5m (2.5-5ft) and about 10 cm (4'') wide. Sisal fiber was used for centuries by Aztec and Mayan civilizations for fabric, ropes and paper preparation.
Plant's life span is about 8-12 years during which couple of it's leaves are cut every few weeks for fiber extraction. Harvested leaves have to be dealt with before they'll be able to dry out, as fibers will get easily damaged in later stages otherwise. Leaves then beaten with sticks and blunt knives (manually or by mechanical machines) until only the fibers remain - other parts of the leaves are much less strong, they broken down by the beating and disposed as biological waste, or sometimes are used as a fertilizers in farming. Afterwards fibers are brushed or washed and dried. Later they can be woven or spun to twines and ropes.
Sisal fiber possesses exceptional tensile strength, quality that makes it very desirable for geotextile applications.
Sisal is a very durable, strong, stretchable, salty water and microbial activity resistant material, that doesn't do well in wet atmosphere. It is classified in 3 grades based on fiber length and strength. Sisal is primarily used for carpets manufacturing, ropes, twine and sackcloth, fishing nets, geotextile for landscaping and erosion control, for paper production and pet (cats) scratching posts. Recently it was recognized as being a good replacement or reinforcement for glass fiber used in automobile industry.
As all natural fibers, sisal is 100% biodegradable, higher grade fiber products can be recycled to paper. It requires no chemical fertilizers or pesticides. Some herbicides might be used, but usually weeding is performed by farmers manually.

Ramie production and use

Ramie is a medium sized bushy plant with dark green leaves, it can grow as tall as 1.5-2 meters (4.5-6.5ft). The plant belongs to the nettle family. Like it's cousins it has this small hairs on the leaves, unlike nettle though, they do not sting. Fibers are found in the outer skin of plant's stem. Ramie's origins are in Eastern Asia where it has been cultivated thousands of years ago for fiber production. It grows in warm climate with substantial annual precipitation.
Ramie fiber has been used for over 5 thousand years in East Asian countries for textile preparation and clothing. China is a leading ramie producer, followed by some other East Asian countries. It is mainly used domestically and also exported to Japan (in addition to Japanese domestic ramie production) and Europe. Ramie market share is not more then one third of a percent of global natural fiber production.
Ramie plants are harvested about 3 times a year, just when the flowers begin to open. The stems are cut close to the roots. Leaves and flowers are quickly stripped from a freshly cut stems and it's skin containing the fiber is separated and scraped to remove an outer bark. Remaining part contains the fiber and gummy resin which binding fibers together.
It has to be washed, dried and treated with chemicals to remove the resin which is very difficult to decompose. Obtained fiber is very fine and of yellowish-white color. All stages of fiber extraction has to be done immediately after plant harvesting, otherwise the resin inside will solidify and will be even more difficult to remove. Fibers then ready to be knitted into fabric, dyed or printed on as requested and ready for further use.
Ramie fiber is quite strong, yet stiff and brittle. The fabric is very breathable, light and comfortable, which makes it an excellent material for apparel production in regions with hot humid summers. It is used as a sewing threads for industrial and household use, textiles for house furnishings and clothing. However, fiber extraction and treatment procedures are difficult and time consuming, that causes the fabric to be pretty expensive, therefore other more affordable materials are usually preferred.
Ramie is frequently combined with other natural or synthetic materials to enhance some key properties of a resulting fabric. For instance, mixing ramie fibers with wool reduces the shrinkage substantially, blend of ramie with cotton increases the durability and adds more luster to the product.
Ramie fiber extraction requires chemical processing of the plant, so it is not the most eco-friendly material. Still, it is completely biodegradable and requires very little to none herbicides and pesticides during the farming stage.
This description, with characteristics above, seem to place ramie fibers and fabric at an inferior position. I, myself, didn't fall in love with this material until I watched traditional ramie weaving process. I highly recommend you to take a look at one of those videos. Weaving of Mosi (fine ramie) in the Hansan region on YouTube.
It depicts the hard work and careful precision of this historical craft. Again - highly recommended.

Kapok production and uses

Kapok is name of both a tree and of fluffy fiber extracted from it's fruits. Kapok tree is massive, big tree that grows taller then 50 meters (164 ft) high and 3 to 5 meters (10-16 ft) wide in trunk diameter, in some cases 70 meters (230 ft) or even taller kapok trees were recorded. It is native to Mexico, northern part of South America and West Africa. It grows in a conditions of tropical forest. The tree is cultivated in Asian countries as well as Central and South America for fiber production and sometimes for wood.
Kapok fiber production is very modest compared to global natural fibers production. It accounts in recent years for less then a quarter of a percent by weight.
Flowering of kapok tree begins when it starts to shed it's leaves in the dry season. Interesting fact: some flowers remain open at night and being pollinated by bats who are drawn to feast on sweet nectar and pollen, in addition of coarse to bees pollinating the flowers by day. Fruits that are formed from those flowers are pod-like, they contain seeds and fiber inside. When pods are mature they are harvested by cutting them off the tree, or by collecting them when they fall onto the ground (either naturally or after being knocked off).
Harvested pods are broke open and seeds and fiber are extracted and separated. Kapok seeds can be pressed to obtain oil for soap manufacturing or being feed to livestock. Kapok fiber is of yellowish-white color, fluffy and light. In nature they 'intended' to be protective of the seeds and to transport them by wind of the tree. Each fiber contain some air inside their structure and also covered with wax, making it water repellent.
Fibers are very slippery and thus unfit for spinning them into yarn. Kapok fiber is mostly used for filling pillows and mattresses and toys stuffing. It can also be used for insulation due to the air trapped in fibers central cavity. This trapped air grants the fiber it's light weight and good buoyancy in water, combined with moisture resistance it makes kapok a proper material for live jackets and other water safety items, which it was used for in the past. In recent years kapok has been replaced by synthetic materials for this application.
Trapped air also makes the fiber very inflammable (aka. easily catches fire).
There is no need for artificial fertilizers or pesticides for kapok tree cultivation. It is 100% biodegradable and reusable, therefore the fiber can be described as very environmentally friendly.

Abaca production and use

Abaca is a bushy 3-6 meters (10-20 ft) tall plant with long green leaves based near the ground. Leaf bases are light green in color and they are wrapped together near plant's root to form trunc-like brownish appearance. It is a species of a banana family growing in warm and humid areas, plant is being usually cut before fruit begins to form. Abaca is native to Philippines, where it was first cultivated for various textile manufacturing.
Abaca global market share is even more modest then all other fibers on this list. Philippines is dominating the abaca production worldwide, being the producer of nearly 90% of the fiber in the world. Abaca is also one of the leading crops grown in the country. It is being used domestically as well as imported to USA, United Kingdom, Germany and East Asian countries.
Harvesting of the plant begins right after flowers are appear. Abaca fibers located at the base of plant's leaves. The stem is cut near the ground, leaf bases are separated and scraped to obtain the fibers, which can get as long as 2-3.5 meters (6.5-11.5 ft) long. Then fibers are dried, traditionally by sunlight but other methods of drying can be used as well. At this stage fibers are ready to be spun into yarn, woven or knitted etc., as required.
Abaca is primarily used for a production of paper, tea bags, filter cloth, clothing, furniture and carpets manufacturing. It is the strongest of all the natural fibers and demonstrates the highest tensile strength among them. As such, it can be used for maritime products such as ropes, ship lines and fishing nets.
Abaca is biodegradable material. It's growth require relatively little amounts of pesticides and artificial fertilizers.

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Fabrics, textiles and other products made from plant based natural fiber are durable, comfortable, quite sustainable and relatively affordable. Most of them cause little to no harm to the environment and to leaving creatures: animals, insects and so on, and generally labeled environmentally friendly.
We encourage you to check product label prior to each purchasing, avoid over-consumption of textile products, try to prolong item's lifespan when possible and to consider recycling instead of throwing used items away.