Eco-Friendly Yarn

So what makes a yarn eco-friendly (or earth-friendly, green, environmentally-friendly, sustainable, organic, etc.)?

Last week I posted my thoughts on animal-friendly yarn, which, in my opinion, is simple. Shepard takes good care of sheep, gives sheep needed haircuts, sells wool for a modest price to make enough money to keep the sheep. The sheep is happy, the Shepard is happy, the person who purchased the wool is happy, everyone is happy.

Unfortunately, not everything in this world is that uncomplicated. When it comes to eco-friendly yarn there is mostly varying shades of grey. But don't be discouraged, I will do my best to cut through the labels and give you the skinny on what impact different fibers and dyes have on the environment so you can make an informed decision.

First, which is better for the environment, animal fibers, plant fibers, or man made fibers?

All three have their positives and negatives. Fiber producing animals need a lot of room to roam, room that could be used as an oxygen producing forest or as a field for raising food crops for humans. Also, farm animals produce global warming/climate change emissions, 18% of dangerous emissions worldwide, according to the New York Times article "As more eat meat, a bid to cut emissions". This is commonly sited as a reason to stop eating meat, but that is a topic for another day. On the positive side, you can get pretty much any kind of animal fiber yarn, handspun or millspun, from the U.S. or Canada. There is even cottage industry silk production going on in North America. This means if you live in the U.S. or Canada, you can get animal fiber yarns that have not been tainted by the enormous amount of fossil fuel it takes to get it to you from halfway around the world.

Plant fibers have the advantage of producing oxygen but that is about it. Aside from the fact that most plant fibers are shipped in from Europe and Asia, large amount of fossil fuels are used in the production process. There are some really scary statistics about the environmental impact of pesticides and insecticides in cotton production in particular. Linen, hemp and ramie have to be intensely processed before ready for use. Of course, there are sustainable ways to grow plant fibers, they are just not as popular because they can't keep up with global demand. Domestic organic cotton production is becoming more mainstream and these fibers are generally the most eco-friendly option.

Manufactured fibers are highly processed and require large amounts of fossil fuels in their production. However, some, like SoySilk and rayon, are made from a byproduct of some other products production. I like the idea of using up every last drip of something. And then there is bamboo. Highly processed, yes, but also highly sustainable. Bamboo grows like crazy and can adapt to almost any climate. These are considered "manufactured" fibers because, unlike cotton, hemp, ramie, or linen, you can't process it at home. It can only be made industrially.

Then there is the dye process.

Dyeing has never, not even before the industrial revolution, been an eco-frienldy process. I can think of only two examples of colors that are washfast that can be produced completely environmentally benign. The process for both is labor intensive and one is kind of gross.

A lot of companies use catch phrases like "low impact dyes" or "earth friendly plant dyes" to market their products. So what does that mean? The term "low impact dyes" generally refers to fiber reactive dyes when applied to plant fibers. The reason is, when these types of dyes meet up with plant fibers they form a permanent bond. They won't crock (rub off) or rinse out in the wash. They usually don't contain heavy metals, either. They also don't require a heat source. The down side is that the process requires a lot of water. Also, there are often toxic chemicals that are used along with the dye to achieve brighter, deeper colors. That is really key. In any dye process it is usually not the dye that is harmful, it is the supplementary chemicals that are used to affect the way the dye looks on the fibers. If you see the term "low impact dyes" in context with animal fibers such as wool, it probably means the dyes used were acid dyes, which can be completely soaked up by the fibers and don't require a lot of excess chemicals in the dye process, and are heavy metal free or have low levels of heavy metals.

Plant dyes can be eco-friendly, but it really depends on the dyer. That is also a significant point. The environmental impact of the dye process often has more to do with the attitude and practices of the home dyer or industrial manufacturer than the dye itself. There are two areas of concern with plant dyes, the mordants (supplemental chemicals) used and the impact of growing, harvesting and transporting the dyestuff. Mordants that are generally considered safe are alum and iron. Most dyestuffs come from slow growing plants in tropical regions of the world. It is so important to know where the dyestuffs come from. Cutting down a rain forest sort of negates the earthy mystique of plant dyes, don't' you think?

Nature also provides a beautiful spectrum of colors. Cotton comes in shades of brown, orange, red, olive green and cream. Wild silk can be anything from bright golden yellow to copper. Sheep, Alpaca, and other animals come in loads of pretty natural colors, even lavender! We are in danger of losing natural colors because commercial production emphasises breeding cotton, sheep and silk to be as white as possible. By supporting natural colors you help ensure biodiversity for future generations.

So, in general, domestic naturally colored animal-friendly wool or organic cotton are the most eco-friendly options. Beyond that, finding suppliers with positive environmental philosophies is the way to go. I'm going to list a few of my favorites below. If you have any questions, comments, or other suppliers you'd like me to add to my list, please leave a comment. This is an important but complicated topic with lots of room for discussion.

Peace

http://www.aurorasilk.com/
http://www.nearseanaturals.com/
http://www.earthues.com/
greenershades.stillrivermill.com
http://www.homesteadwoolandgiftfarm.com/