A Guide to Earth-Friendly Fabrics!

There are products and materials for sale to the public that aren't always the safest for use. It's a difficult thing to think about, especially since children play with toys with chemically produced plastics and dyes, and we all wear clothes made with fabrics created in a factory. Most of the processes and materials used in those factories aren't too friendly on the environment - that includes the plant and animal population, too.

When you're searching for fabrics that you want to use for a project, you want to use things you feel good about - fabrics made with organic materials using animal and eco-friendly business practices that will be safe for you and your family as well as the planet.

Shopping at stores that carry organic products and earth friendly crafting materials is a smart idea, and you can usually find other useful natural materials for your project as well; like hemp thread and trimmings using recycled fabrics. (Recycled fabrics aren't always made from fabrics that were organic and eco-friendly to begin with, but they are in themselves a testament to green living, since they re-use materials instead of letting them go to waste in a landfill or worse.) Check the labels on your preferred product to see if it's green, or ask someone to point you to any of the following earth-friendly fabrics.

Kira™ / Ingeo ™
These are fabrics woven or made from corn, which is a completely renewable resource and is as green as it gets as far as farming goes. You can even find an entire bedding set made from Ingeo at Target. As for Kira, it's a Herman Miller fabric, and is used in more used in things for companies and businesses.

SoySilk™
There are plenty of types of fabrics and fibers using soy as a main material, but SoySilk is one you may see more often. SWTC, the company that created and distributes products using SoySilk, also uses and creates fabrics made from corn, milk, and bamboo.

Bamboo Fiber/Cloth
Fabric that is made from bamboo is highly regarded by members of the fashion community just as much as it is by eco-friendly community. It's smooth and soft, as well as incredibly comfortable. Best of all, it's made with earth safe practices, and is completely biodegradable.

Tencel™
Tencel is a versatile, absorbent and breezy fabric made from wood pulp. It's often referred to as 'tree silk' by people that work at or frequent fabric and craft stores.

Hemp Fiber / Cloth
There's been hype about products made using hemp thread, fiber, and cloth for quite some time. The controversy over the plant's history does little to mask it's usefulness nowadays, and it's being used even more in fabric production today.

Nettle Fiber / Cloth
The nettle plant is a hardy and easily renewable resource, and it's been used to make cloth and other items since around the time of World War I. It was mainly used as a cotton substitute, and still can be used that way today.

EcoSpun™
If you were to ever find a fabric with an EcoSpun or Eco-fi label, you would never believe that it's made from recycled plastics from things like candy containers and soda pop bottles. It's used for fabric and thread to make things like jackets and blankets, since it's got great insulating capabilities.

Keep in mind that almost all fabrics you will find at the stores will be created in a factory or setting that uses machinery and chemicals in the production process. Finding and using fabrics, threads, and clothes that use the safest and most eco-friendly processes is key to keeping a green lifestyle and extending the life of our planet!

Helpful Sources:
http://www.natural-environment.com/
http://www.teonline.com/