What is Jute?
Jute is a type of vegetable fiber used to make items such as rope, twine, carpet, rugs, hessian cloth, and much more. It’s leaves and roots have also been used as food and medicine in some parts of India and Bangladesh.
Jute plants come in two varieties; White Jute (Corchorus capsularis) and Tossa Jute (Corchorus olitorius). Jute is a flowering plant, and can grow to around 10 feet tall.
Jute fiber is quite strong, and it doesn’t fibrillate or bleach easily. It is one of the cheapest natural fibers available, and has a wide range of applications on top of the aforementioned ones. Jute can be used to make paper, geotextile, a fiberglass alternative, particleboard, and more.
I wrote about some of these uses of jute, as well as the potential it has in these areas.
Environmental Benefits of Jute
Jute has many environmental benefits.
For starters, it’s carbon dioxide neutral, improves soil quality, and it has a high biological efficiency. Products made from jute are 100% biodegradable, recyclable, and can be easily disposed without causing environmental hazards.
Here’s more detail on the environmental benefits of jute.
Where can I buy Jute Products?
You might be able to find jute products at your local organic clothing or homeware store. There are a lot of jute bags around for example.
Online, there many websites offering jute products but it’s hard to find one offering online purchases. Amazon.com do have a range of jute products. You could try their jute bags
If you’re a retailer, you could try the Jute Industry website.
Tags: eco-friendly fabric, jute, natural fiber, Sustainability
February 12th, 2008 at 1:29 am
[...] paper doesn’t need to be made from wood. For example, perfectly good paper can be made out of Jute or Hemp. These plants grow much faster than trees, and use up much less land. Trees take many years [...]
March 11th, 2008 at 4:43 am
[...] cloth is a coarse woven fabric typically made from jute or hemp. In the US, hessian cloth is usually referred to as [...]
April 4th, 2008 at 8:13 am
[...] yet decided on their preferred option, they will decide by May. They are keen on the idea of Jute [...]
April 30th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
[...] centuries, the natural fiber jute has been known for its suitability for making stuff like rope, twine, carpet, rugs, and hessian [...]
May 20th, 2009 at 3:33 am
Albury Enviro Bags supports the International Year of Natural Fibres 2009 and the use of natural fibres such as jute and cotton in the production of reusable shopping bags and promotional bags.
The International Year of Natural Fibres, which was officially launched on 22 January 2009, is intended to stimulate demand for natural fibres by increasing the awareness of their advantages and by promoting the efficiency of the natural fibres industries. At the request of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the declaration of 2009 as The International Year of Natural Fibres was made by the United Nations on 20th December 2006.
For detailed information about jute bags and a fantastic jute video visit http://www.alburyenvirobags.com.au/jute2009.php