Fibers are classified into the following three
groups; Natural, Man-made and Synthetic
Natural
fibers are subdivided into two
classifications; Animal (Protein) fibers
and Plant (Cellulose) fibers.
Animal fibers include wool, and
other hair fibers such as cashmere and alpaca, silk is also among the animal
fiber classification.
Plant fibers are produced by
plants, and are products of agriculture. They are further broken down into
three subcategories; Bast (stem) fibers, Leaf fibers and Seed fibers. Cotton is
a seed fiber; Flax and hemp are bast fibers.
Man-made
fibers
are sometimes known as Regenerated
fibers.
Man
made fibers are fibers that have been created by man using building blocks
provided by nature e.g. proteins or cellulose) as opposed to fibers made
entirely by nature e.g. cotton.
An
example of Regenerated fibers would
be natural materials that have been provided for by nature that has been
converted by wet-chemical process which then allows the production of
continuous filaments which can then be spun into fiber e.g. viscose. There are
two primary types of regenerated fibers.
Regenerated fibers from cellulose; Lyocell-trademark
Tencel ® that is derived from eucalyptus, would be an example of a regenerated
cellulosic fibers.
Regenerated fibers from protein sources are called Azlons and sources of the proteins would
include: Soy, milk, maize (protein derived) and peanuts.
Synthetic
fibers
are those in which man has produced the entire operation of the fiber
production without allowing nature to manufacture the fiber forming substance
(called polymers.). Usually synthetics are made from chemicals derived from non-renewable
resources such as coal or oil. The most widely recognized synthetics are
polyester and nylon.
PLA is classified as a
synthetic. The monomer in PLA is based on a renewable resource. This
manufacturing process converts the corn to sugar and then changes the molecular
composition into a high performance polymer called polylactide (PLA), which is
branded NatureWorks TM PLA. Ingeo TM fibers are extruded from NatureWorks PLA
polymers. (Burden, Rose, eco-textiles 2006)
Q.
Is Flax fiber available certified organic?
A. Yes. Flax is a Natural-Plant fiber.
The
spinning and weaving of linen is depicted on wall paintings of ancient Egypt.
As early as 3,000 B.C., the fiber was processed into fine white fabric and
wrapped around the mummies of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs. Finnish traders
are believed to have introduced flax to Northern Europe where it has been under
cultivation for centuries.
Flax is the plant that produces flax
fiber, after the fiber is spun it is known as linen yarn. Certified
organic flax seed for oil is grown in about half of the USA, however,
textile-grade flax fiber is imported to the US. Certified organic flax fiber is grown in Europe and China. Organic Flax can by certified by any accredited third party
certification organization that is a member of IFOAM. (http://www.ifoam.org/) (Burden/Rose 2007)
Q.
Is Hemp available certified organic?
A. Yes. Hemp is a Natural-Plant fiber
Hemp fiber dates back to 2800 B.C.
Prior to 1880 the US economy was based on hemp. Industrial hemp was a primary source of food, fuel and fiber. It is
now illegal to grow hemp in the US. Hemp grows well without the use of chemical
herbicides and pesticides. Manufactures of hemp fiber claim that the fiber is
biodegradable. All hemp fiber in the US
is imported. China and Eastern Europe are the primary producers of hemp.
Although seed for food consumption
is readily available certified organic, certified organic hemp fiber is not
widely available.
To date, IMO certifies only one organic hemp farm in Inner Mongolia. (www.imo.ch/)
Q. Is wool fiber available that is certified
organic?
A. Yes. Wool
is a Natural-Animal fiber.
The most common source of wool for textiles is from
sheep of various breeds such as Merino, Corriedale and Rambouillet to name a
few. “Wool” refers to all natural-animal hair fibers, some common examples of specialty wools would be; Angora,
Mohair, Cashmere (from Kashmir goats) and Alpacas.
In
order for wool to be certified as "organic," it must be produced in accordance
with NOP federal standards for organic livestock production. Federal
requirements for organic livestock production include:
- Livestock feed and forage used from the last third of gestation must be certified organic;
- Use of synthetic hormones and genetic engineering is prohibited;
- Use of synthetic pesticides (internal, external, and on is prohibited, and
- Producers must encourage livestock health through good cultural and management practices.
Organic livestock management is different from non-organic management in at
least two major ways: 1) sheep cannot be dipped in parasiticides (insecticides)
to control external parasites such as ticks and lice, and 2) organic livestock
producers are required to ensure that they do not exceed the natural carrying
capacity of the land on which their animals graze. Organic wool can by
certified by any accredited third party certification organization that is a member
of IFOAM.( http://www.ifoam.org/) Wool can
also be certified organic to EU standards standards e.g. NASAA in Australia. (http://www.nasaa.org) (www.ota.com)
Q.
Is certified organic silk available?
A. Yes, however the supply is limited.
Silk is a Natural-Animal fiber.
Wild silk, sometimes known as
“Tussah Silk” is produced from silkworms that feed on the leaves of dwarf oak
trees and are allowed to live out a complete lifecycle in their natural habitat.
The silkworms are humanely cultivated, meaning the wild silk cocoons are only
processed using natural methods and only after the moth emerges naturally from
the cocoon. Humanely produced silk is also sometimes known as “Peace
Silk.”
Although not widely available or
recognized as a certified organic fiber, Alkena Textiles, a joint venture among China,
Switzerland and Germany, claims to produce certified organic silk. Alkena
claims to produce organic and biodynamic silk in accordance with the European
Economic Community (EEC) organic standard, which prohibits the use of
methoprene but would not necessarily rule out killing the worms. This silk is
certified by IMO. (www.alkena.com.cn/)
Skal International (now Control Union) also certifies silk to their EKO
Standards for Sustainable Textile Production in accordance with EEC No.
2092/91. (www.controlunion.com)
The conventional alternative to
organic or wild silk is silk derived from silkworms that feed largely on
mulberry leaves, usually indoors in large trays. This type of silk is called “cultivated.”
In large, industrial run farms, artificial
cultivation including the boiling of the cocoon with the worm inside in order
to kill the worm before it becomes a moth and emerges from the cocoon. (Hustvedt, Rose,eco-textiles 2006)
Q.
What can you tell me about this relatively new fiber bamboo?
A. Bamboo is a Regenerated-Cellulose fiber.
Bamboo is not,
in and of itself, recognized as a fiber in the US or EU. What is referred to as bamboo fiber in the
market is actually viscose/rayon.
All viscose or
rayon fiber from Bamboo (as a source)
that is imported into the US must carry a legal fiber content label declaration
of viscose or rayon. All bamboo imported into the EU must use of the legal
content declaration viscose; the EU does not permit the use of the word rayon. (Rose, Burden 2006/ 2007)
As one
of the fastest growing plants in the world, bamboo grows to its maximum height
in about 3 months and reaches maturity in 3-4 years. It spreads rapidly
across large areas. Because of relatively
quick growing time and the ability to be grown without fertilizers or
pesticides, the fiber is currently being marketed as an ‘eco-green-sustainable
fiber.’ There are also claims that viscose or rayon from bamboo is
biodegradable and anti-microbial. There are potential risks associated with
using bamboo as a polymer source for rayon since there is currently a lack of
transparency in the supply chain. It is not always clear which type of bamboo
is used for fiber, where it is grown, how it is cultivated, harvested etc. To
date there are no known organic certification of bamboo.
The
process to make viscose or rayon fiber from bamboo is the same process used to produce
viscose/ rayon from any other plant source. The cellulose is extracted from the
bamboo, and then the cellulose is mixed with chemicals to convert the plant
pulp into textile quality fiber. This process can be very polluting unless it
is carefully controlled, which can be influenced by the age and condition of
the equipment as well as whether there is any by-product recycling or effluent
treatment. (Burden, Rose, eco-textiles
2006)
There is only one case of
manufacturing a regenerated cellulose fiber-where the chemicals used in the
process are completely recycled with a
recovery rate of 99.5%, this is known as a closed loop system. The fiber made
using this closed looped process is Lenzings TENCEL ® Lyocell. More accurately
described Lyocell is a solvent spun fiber in which the cellulose is directly
dissolved keeping the cellulose much closer to that found in nature. TENCEL®
Lyocell, also carries the Oeko Tex 100
certification and FSC certification ( http://www.fsc.org/en/) Currently organic standards are not in place
for certifying regenerated fibers using trees as a source e.g. Eucalyptus, or
Beechwood. FSC certification for TENCEL®
Lyocell is for the forest and for the pulp, they also have been awarded the
European-Eco flower label. (www.Lenzing.com)
Q.
What is recycled cotton?
A. There are two types of recycled cotton. They may or may not
contain organic fibers. At this time there are no standards and or
certifications for recycled organic cotton. The two types of recycled cotton that
is available;
1.) Internal spinning
waste recycled in the same spinning plant, usually mixed with virgin cotton to
achieve a usable yarn.
2.) Recycling various
types and percentages of waste fibers; scrap yarn, scrap fabric, garment
fall-out and scrap garments. (Burden,
2007)
Q. What
about recycled polyester, where is recycled
polyester produced and what do I need to know about recycled poly?
A. Recycled polyester is
currently produced in Japan, USA, Taiwan, China, Portugal and Lebanon.
A. There are fundamentally 3
questions that should be asked about recycled polyester; what is the origin of
the waste? What is the method of converting waste to chips? and how do you know
the product is produced from recycled materials?
1.) Q. What is the origin of the
waste?
A. There are three origins of waste
· Mill waste.
Waste produced in the original polyester chip and/or yarn making process.
· Post industrial waste.
Polyester that has left original producer has entered into next phase’s fabric
making, garment making in which there is also waste such as fabric fall-out
from garment cutting and sewing.
· Post consumer waste.
Product that has entered into the consumer chain of supply, and is then disposed
of such as plastic bottles (made from PET) and polyester clothing.
Producers of recycled chips tend to
produce recycled chips with varying percentages of recycled and or PET content.
Some use only 100% post consumer waste.
2.) Q. What is the method of
converting waste to chips?
A. There are fundamentally 2 methods
· Direct method; melting waste and
reforming into chips which is the least expensive, lowest energy, impacts,
however there are fewer yarn denier/filament options, and potential streakiness
in dyeing due to impurities
· Chemical method based on de-polymerization
of waste polyester and then re-polymerization into effectively
"virgin" polyester. This processing is more expensive, consumes more energy;
however it does provide a larger choice of denier / filament, with fewer
impurities and potentially better dyeing outcomes.
3. Q. How do you know it’s
recycled?
A. At this time there are no international certifications as there are no
published standards. Some national authorities operate a recycling
certification scheme e.g. Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency. (Burden, Rose, 2007)
