More and more often and increasingly, the environment is in the news. Many companies are switching to more sustainable solutions. In doing so, there is trial and error. Because what sometimes environmentally conscious sounds environmentally conscious, sometimes it may not be as hoped. However, we do want to highlight a good and interesting idea that falls completely within our theme:
Clothing from plants!
Harmful substances
Today, clothes are mostly made from cheap but polluting fabrics. In fact, textiles are largely made from fossil fuels, which, after we process them into textile fibers, degrade very poorly. In fact, we recycle only about 1% of the 20 kilograms of textile fibers 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 should switch to plant-based sources, which can break down better. By 2050, garments would then only be made from textile fibers derived from plants made from plants. So we would actually be going back in time. In fact, over a century ago, the vast majority of our clothing was also plant-based.
New raw materials and techniques
So far we are 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. This, of course, requires investment in science.
So is it even possible?
We still have 30 years to achieve this goal. But if the right alternatives to fossil textile fibers are found, then it is achievable. Certainly if much more textile waste is recycled we are already moving in the right direction. But the best is if we use no synthetic raw materials for textiles at all.
Maybe that special plant you have your eye on is a good raw material for clothing and you will be wearing it 20 or 30 years from now your favorite plants incorporated into your fabric.
Moreover, did you know that there is a myth about jewel orchids, which is totally connected to the theme of fabric of plants? The story describes, that the beautiful shimmering leaves of these plants were pieces of the fabric of the robe of the Goddess.
