Sandra Chukwurah

ECO-FRIENDLY TEXTILES: HEMP CLOTHING AND OTHERS We all love to look good, everyone wants to stand out in what they wear, how they wear them, at what cost they bought them and how durable the clothes are. I know I'm not alone when I say that there are clothes we hold so dear to us and wish that nothing would ever separate the from us. While there is little or nothing that can be done to ensure they always fit us size wise, what if I told you, that your favorite pair of jeans or favorite dress would never get old. Did you know that there are better clothing options than cotton, leather, silk, etc.? Did you know that we could have a very safe environment and still produce beautiful clothes, bedding, curtains, drapes, duvets, etc.? Imagine a world where we used hemp fabrics instead of cotton and ensured durability of clothing. Imagine that we used bamboo instead of silk, pineapple leaves instead of leather, tencel rather than cotton, and many other eco-friendly options. This would mean that the silk cocoon would no longer be endangered, the animals would be safer and clothes would be cheaper to get and more durable. I trust you get the idea now, so let’s get into the practicability of this awesome plan of ours. Hemp Clothing You probably know this, but I will go ahead and tell you that the first set of Lewis jeans were made from hemp and they lasted for a very long time. Hemp clothing is more durable than cotton because it is mildew resistant. It gets softer with age but this only makes it more comfortable. There are many reasons to choose hemp fiber over cotton, some of them are: Cotton uses 4X more water than hemp does from cultivation to production. Hemp does not require pesticides or insecticides but it is impossible to grow cotton without using these toxic chemicals thus, cotton is not so good for the environment. It is so bad that although cotton occupies just 3% of the world’s arable land, it uses about 26% of the pesticides and herbicides.1 Hemp aerates the soil with its strong roots, when it dries up; it also becomes manure for the soil. Hemp can also be grown with other plants through shifting cultivation, but Cotton on the other hand requires artificial fertilizer, which is toxic for the soil. Cotton comes in off-white, plain white and cream colors so it needs to be dyed to produce other colors, but hemp clothes come naturally in white, grey, cream, green, brown and black colors.2 Even when dye is used, Hemp retains color better than cotton does.3 Hemp clothes deal better with stains as ordinary laundry soap easily takes off the stain; we all know what a journey of discovery it is when we seek the right homemade stain remover for our cotton fabric. Hemp breathes more easily and allows for easier perspiration than cotton does. Even though they are both breathable, Hemp does not lock in odors as cotton does. Hemp has anti-bacterial features that make this breathing possible. Pineapple Leather Have you heard of pineapple leather? You're probably wondering what fruit and leather are doing side by side as a noun. It’s okay, I wondered too. Well, Animal rights activists are not backing down on the fight for animals’ right to life and using them for clothes, shoes and bags is wrong. I don’t blame them but I am not here to make an argument for them. In addition, we may not need petroleum for our leather products either so Environmental Protection Law enforcement agencies can get off our necks while we make, sell and wear our leather. I bring you good news. Dear Ladies and gentlemen, rock stars and slay queens, you can still rock your leather jacket, leather shoes, bags, belts and the rest without feeling guilty for the death of one animal or the other and you will not even be responsible for the hazardous environmental effects of processing synthetic leather from petroleum either. As if a clear conscience is not enough goodness, pineapple leather products are also available at very affordable prices. Yeah, pineapples have come to the rescue and are they awesome or what! Pineapple leather, Piñatex or whatever name you choose to call it is leather made from pineapple waste and pineapple leaves. Yeah, goodbye to hides and skin, the animals and the environment are safe, at least from this end. Some wonderful facts about Pineapple fiber are that it has the same strength and tenacity as leather. It does not need extra land, water, fertilizers, pesticides or insecticides to produce leather. Do you know why? Because it is waste, so rather than take from the environment, we’re actually contributing and it means extra income for pineapple farmers who can now sell their pineapple waste. We are cleaning up agricultural waste and turning it into something awesome, way to add more value to the pineapple fruit! Okay, let’s give honor to whom honor is due. History4 has it that a leather expert and Spanish designer, Carmen Hijosa had visited the Philippines on a business trip with the intention of consulting with the leather industry there. To her utmost disappointment, she discovered that their leather was of poor quality and its production had negative effects on the environment generally and the industry employees specifically. This was bad news but she wasn’t wasting a plane ticket so she did more research. She began to visit different parts of the country and discovered that one of the most prominent plants there is the Pineapple fruit. She also saw a Filipino shirt Barong Talong, which is made using fiber from Pineapple leaves. The Philippines grow lots of pineapples and after harvest, the rest of it ends up as just pineapple leaves, waste for disposal. She also looked at sisal, bananas and other fruits but the pineapple stood out. She noticed that the leaves had certain features that qualified it as the plant-based alternative to leather. Hijosa realized that the pineapple fiber has “very good strength and flexibility, which is really what we need to make a non-woven substrate.” In pursuit of her latest discovery, Hijosa abandoned the traditional leather industry where she was working and went to the Royal College of Art in London where she spent seven years researching and developing the Pineapple fiber into a patented product as she earned her PhD alongside. After her discovery, Hijosa opened a start-up at the age of 63. The start up company Ananas Anam produces her pineapple-based leather called Piñatex. The company has improved its production level from 500 meters to over 8000 meters. Her discovery has gone viral as companies like Camper and Puma have made prototypes with Pineapple fiber and have begun production too. Hijosa’s discovery and invention is an answer to the environmental and other ecosystem problems associated with producing real leather and synthetic leather. Bamboo Textile I know, it’s just odd that bamboos ca now clothe us. It gets weirder when you realize that bamboo textiles are an alternative to silk. Whoever thought that something could replace the silk? If you ae looking to get a less expensive, washing machine friendly and durable set of sheets for your bed, Bamboo textiles are certainly the answer. While silk looks all tosh and classy, you will agree with me that the cost of maintaining it is almost twice the cost of purchasing it, so save yourself the headache, get you a Bamboo sheet today. In addition, Bamboo sheets are breathable; they allow the heat of the body to regulate temperature of the bedding. They are also three to four times more breathable than cotton.5 Bamboo has antimicrobial and hypoallergenic components, which make its textiles healthy. It is easy to grow and is easily reusable. It grows over 70feet high and does not require replanting so the problem of deforestation is solved in going with bamboo. Soybean Clothing Told you, it gets weirder. We are used to Soymilk, soy juice, etc. I never imagined we would get to wear clothes made from it. Just like Pineapple leather, soybean fabric is made from agricultural waste. The hulls of the seeds also called “vegetable cashmere” are used in the production of the fabric. It is easily biodegradable and renewable. The good thing about Soybean clothes is that it is soft, easy to maintain and does not require extra efforts to be catered for. Soybean is soft like silk; it is also light and stretches a bit so it feels good on the skin. It is called “vegetable cashmere” because of this texture but it is far better than cashmere itself because it is easier to maintain. Soy clothing absorbs moisture easily and it also has excellent absorption qualities that allows easy evaporation of perspiration so it is cool for summer and hot weather generally. You know what else is cool? Soybean clothing are antibacterial so they are not just good for the environment, they are healthy too. In addition, they have UV resistant qualities so they protect you from the sun. Other great qualities of soybean clothing are that it does not need ironing, no need for chlorine bleach and fabric softeners to soften it because how much softer do you want it to be. Lyocell Clothing The fabric is also known as Rayon or Tencel. It is a product of dissolved cellulose or wood pulp from eucalyptus trees. It is durable and sustainable especially because of its wrinkle resistant features. The downside though is that the fabric is not absorbent and it is not mildew resistant. This downside makes it difficult to cater for, as you would need stain removers and odor removal solutions like vinegar and water to wash it and smell good. In addition, hand washing is the best option but if you must use washing machines, then turn it inside out and put use the “delicate” option on the machine. Don not squeeze out the water, you could just hand press it. Conclusion The world is changing as many discoveries are being made about healthier, easier and cheaper means of producing the basic needs of life. As you may know, Hemp still faces legalization issues in some parts of the world but manufacturers are hopeful that the legislature would embrace the hemp one day. Hemp fiber, Pineapple leather (Piñatex), Soybean clothing, lyocell fabric and Bamboo textile are just a few of the many discoveries in the textile industries on better ways to dress the world, make money and still stay out of jail while keeping the human race alive and well.