Natural Environment Blog

If you’re building or renovating, check out the new “Juicy Jute” wallcoverings by Architectural Textiles Ltd.

In fact, two new wallcoverings are available this year: Juicy Jute and Java Cork.

As well as the new wallcoverings, there are also wallcoverings made from hemp, silk, bamboo, raffia, and more.

The website allows you to view and order samples of different colors of each wallcovering.

As well as the environmental benefits of using materials like jute and hemp, these wallcoverings look very stylish too.

For centuries, the natural fiber jute has been known for its suitability for making stuff like rope, twine, carpet, rugs, and hessian cloth. But, recently it’s been making a name for itself for another purpose.

Jute is emerging as a great, environmentally friendly ingredient in the footwear footwear industry.

Renotex Jute Board

According to Fibre2Fashion.com, Texon International and APL Polyfab will market and further develop Renotex jute board for footwear and other applications.

According to Mr Mani Almal, Managing Director, APL Polyfab:

It was during 2000, I started to focus on natural and environmental products and Jute was found as one of the best natural crop fibre with surplus production in our state of Bengal with potential in diversified applications due to its properties.

Other applications for Renotex jute will include use in automobiles, helmet, others with fire retardant properties.

Also, the article says the following about Renotex jute:

Renotex jute natural is not only environmental friendly product but also has most of the features required by footwear insoles and footbeds which are met in just one product. It thus helps in saving huge inventory of varieties of materials.

And this…

Renotex flexible range is resistant to water absorption with faster de-absorption, apart from excellent tensile /tear strength, bonding, breathable, stroble, anti-skid, electrical resistance, insulation properties to suit insoles.

And this…

Renotex - R is a flexible range suitable for insoles, strobel for safety shoes and matting whereas RENOTEX - P is mouldable with eco-friendly resin & rubbers suitable for foot beds and some premium ranges of expensive footwear.

Existing Applications of Jute Footwear

Jute is already being used in various types of footwear. For example you can buy jute shoes, jute slippers, jute mojari, jute juttis and more.

Here are some websites offering jute footwear:

• IndiaMart
• Export Syndicate
• Jute-Industry.com
• Amazon search results for jute shoes

Hopefully jute becomes more popular in footwear in the years ahead.

When shopping for clothes, many people shop based on things like comfort or style, but not many people check for clothing’s eco-friendliness.

More and more clothing companies are providing clothes made from eco-friendly fabrics. Demand for these clothes is increasing too. This makes sense given the environmental issues we’re faced with in today’s world.

What Makes a Fabric “Eco-Friendly”?

Eco-friendly fabrics generally have the following characteristics:

• Minimum use of chemicals and pesticides
• Best land manangement practices
• Sustainable farming practices
• Eco-friendly certification (i.e. EU-Eco label certification)
• Animal friendly
• Production adheres to fair trade practices

By purchasing organic, you can be sure that the product was produced without the use of harsh chemicals and pesticides, and is not only healthy for the environment but is also healthy for you.

The Fabrics

Here’s a list of eco-friendly fibers to look out for. Next time you’re shopping for clothes, look out for clothes that are made from the following fibers (or other eco-friendly fibers):

1. Hemp - An amazing natural fiber. Some say hemp could have 25,000 uses. Hemp provides enormous benefit to the natural environment. This is true when used in products and when growing the hemp plant.
2. Jute - Similar to hemp, jute is a type of vegetable fiber used for thousands of years, with outstanding potential for the future.
3. Ingeo - Trademark for a man-made fiber derived from corn.
4. Calico - Fabric made from unbleached cotton. Also referred to as muslin.
5. Hessian Cloth - Coarse woven fabric made from jute or hemp.
6. Organic cotton - Cotton grown organically (without pesticides etc)
7. Recycled Polyester - Polyester created from used polyester garments.
8. Bamboo Fiber - Bamboo fabric is very comfortable and 100% biodegradable.
9. Tencel^® - Brand name for a biodegradable fabric made from wood pulp cellulose.
10. Ramie - Ramie fibers are one of the strongest natural fibers. Ramie can be up to 8 times stronger than cotton, and is even stronger when wet.
11. Organic Wool - Organic wool is wool that has been produced in a way that is less harmful to the environment than non-organic wool.
12. Organic Linen - Linen that is made from flax fiber. Could also refer to be linen made from other organically grown plant fibers.
13. FORTREL EcoSpun - Fiber made from plastic containers
14. Milk Silk - Silk made from milk
15. Soy Silk - Silk made from soybeans
16. Nettle fiber - Made from stinging nettle (commonly known as a weed)
17. Spider-web fabric - Fabric made from spider webs. Still in the experimental stages.

Eco-Friendly Finishes and Dyes

As well as the fabric used to make clothes, many clothes are dyed and/or have laminate finishes etc. Here are some eco friendly options:

• Biodegradable TPU Laminate - Solvent free TPU that can biodegrade in as little as 4 years.
• NanoSphere^® Textile Finish - Self cleaning textile finish for clothing and other textiles.
• Non-Toxic Dyes - These can be better for your health as well as the environment.

Hessian cloth is a coarse woven fabric typically made from jute or hemp. In the US, hessian cloth is usually referred to as ‘burlap’.

Hessian cloth (or just ‘hessian’) is often used to make sacks and bags for industrial purposes. It’s breathability makes it suitable for carrying foodstuffs - as it less prone to condensation than other materials. This, in turn, reduces spoilage of the contents.

Hessian cloth is also very durable. Again, this makes it ideal for carrying heavy goods. Because of its durability, Ghillie suits (or yowie suits) are often made from hessian. Ghillie suits are a type of camouflage suit used in the military and is designed to resemble the foilage of the forest.

Although hessian cloth is not popular in modern day apparel (probably due to it’s coarse texture), there are still many potential uses for it. And, because it’s made from plants like jute and hemp, it can be more sustainable than many other alternatives.

Here are some facts regarding the earth’s forests:

• One and a half acres of rainforest is lost every second.
• To date, earth has lost 50% of its tropical forests worldwide.
• Many countries have lost between 70% and 95% of their forests in a very short timespan. In a 15 year timespan, Nigeria lost 79% of its old growth forests!
• Earth’s forests are being cut down at the same rate in which the human population is increasing. The alarming thing is that this rate is actually accelerating.
• At the current rate of deforestation, we will only have 20% of the world’s forests left by 2030. 10% will be in a degraded condition.
• Experts have estimated that all of earth’s rainforests will be gone within 40 years.

Given the alarming rate of deforestation, something big needs to be done. Our increasing demand for paper doesn’t help either. In 2003, the Certified Forest Products Council said:

Worldwide demand for paper – the single largest use of wood fiber – is five times what it was in the 1950s. This number is expected to double again over the next 50 years.

What can be done about this? I’m sure plenty could be done.

To start with, 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 to grow. Jute and Hemp are fully grown within months. They also have a higher biological efficiency than trees planted for the same purpose.

We need to start thinking about ways to reduce deforestation - then act on it. Otherwise, some of us may actually see a day where there are no rainforests left.

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, or their apparel section (which also has some bags).

If you’re a retailer, you could try the Jute Industry website.

For thousands of years, jute (a type of natural vegetable fiber) has been used to make products such as rope, twine, hessian cloth, and much more. Jute leaves and roots have even been used as food and a medicine in parts of Bangladesh and India.

Despite its well established past, jute still hasn’t realized its full potential on the worldwide market - especially in the developed countries. Hopefully this will change.

Here are 4 applications where jute has enormous potential.

Jute Paper

Demand for paper keeps growing every year. In 2003, the Certified Forest Products Council said:

Worldwide demand for paper – the single largest use of wood fibre – is five times what it was in the 1950s. This number is expected to double again over the next 50 years.

The problem here is that, more and more trees are being cut down to meet this increasing demand. Unless something is done about this (and fast), we’ll run out of forests.

Jute can be used to make high quality and specialized paper. Jute plants grow extremely fast, and produces 20 to 40 ton of dry stem per hectare. In comparison, the fastest growing trees take between 10 and 14 years to mature. Also, trees will only produce between 8 to 12 ton, per hectare, annually.

Although jute paper is being produced, it’s in very small quantities compared with paper from trees. More jute paper please!

Fiberglass Alternative

Jute can be used as a reinforcing agent in plastics to create a jute reinforced composite. It can be used as a more environmentally friendly version of fiberglass. It can be used in the packaging industry, the automobile industry, and it can also be used as construction material.

The packaging industry is responsible for around 30% of plastic consumption in the developed countries. It is also responsible for over 20% of the total solid waste and 3.7% of energy consumption. Using a jute alternative would significantly reduce the impact of these plastics on the environment.

Particleboard

Jute could be used in particleboard instead of wood. Particleboard (also referred to as “chipboard”), is a wood product made from wood particles such as wood chips, sawmill shavings, and/or sawdust. Jute fiber could just as easily be used instead of wood particles to provide a more environmentally friendly product.

Geotextiles

Jute Geotextile (JGT) has proven very effective at addressing various soil-related issues in the civil engineering industry. JGT can be used to assist with:

• Protection of slopes in road and railway embankments, bridge approaches, terraces in hilly terrains, etc.
• Stabilisation of sand dunes, mine spoils, etc.
• Promotion of quick vegetation in areas denuded by things like cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, etc.
• Stabilisation of waste dumps.
• Prevention of reflection cracks
• Protection of riverbanks
• Strengthening of roads
• Filtration

The benefits of Jute Geotextile over other geotextiles include:

• Price - cheaper than other geotextiles (synthetic or natural)
• Easy availability and transportation
• Superior drapability
• Greater moisture retention capacity

There are many other geotextile solutions - some with natural fibers, others with synthetic. Out of the geotextiles, jute is one of the most compelling. However, it currently has a very small market share of this industry.

Hopefully the benefits of jute will become more widely recognized and we can start seeing some changes for the better.

Jute is a versatile, natural fiber that has been used for thousands of years to make things such as rope, twine, hessian bags, rugs, and much more.

While it’s still being used extensively around the world, it’s not as popular as it could (or should) be - especially considering its outstanding environmental benefits. Given the increasing focus on environmental issues these days, jute might just be in for a crack at the bigtime.

Here are the major environmental benefits of jute:

• Jute cleans the air: Studies indicate that, one hectare of jute plants can consume up to 15 tons of carbon dioxide and release 11 tons of oxygen during the jute growing season (about 100 days).
• Less fertilizer, herbicides, & pesticides: Relatively modest amounts of fertilizer, herbicide, and pesticides are required for jute cultivation - especially in comparison to cotton.
• Improves soil conditions: During jute cultivation, large portions of leaves and roots remain with the soil. This results in improved soil fertility.
• Improves other crops: When jute is rotated with other crops, it can improve the health of those other crops and reduce their risk of attracting pests and disease.
• Jute has high biological efficiency: Jute can be harvested within 4 to 6 months, and can produce between 20 to 40 ton of dry stem per hectare. In comparison, the fastest growing trees take between 10 and 14 years to mature. Also, trees will only produce between 8 to 12 ton, per hectare, annually.
• Sound agricultural practices: Studies have found that typical jute agricultural practices are environmentally sound - they cause minimal impact to the natural enviroment.
• Biodegradability: Jute products are 100% biodegradable and recyclable. They can also be disposed of without causing environmental hazards.

As long as the processing of jute is done in an eco-friendly way, jute has enormous potential as an eco-friendly alternative to its mainstream rivals such as cotton and trees.

In my post How “Eco Friendly” is your Grocery Bag?, I suggested looking for an eco friendly grocery bag. In particular, I suggested looking for a bag that is made from natural fibers, is large, and can be reused over many years.

In this post, I will look at some of the options when it comes to eco friendly grocery bags.

Eco friendly bags come in a wide range of different materials. Here are some eco friendly bags available on the current market:

• Hemp bags
• Calico bags
• Jute bags
• Hessian bags
• Biodegradable starch based bags
• Polyester bags
• Polypropylene or “Green” bags
• Biodegradable plastic bags
• Degradable plastic bags
• Paper bags

These eco friendly bags have varying levels of “eco friendliness”, but are typically regarded as being much better than their traditional plastic bag alternative (with the possible exception of paper bags). Despite paper bags having a more eco friendly image, studies show paper bags are less eco friendly than plastic bags.

While some of the above don’t decompose properly (i.e. polypropylene, paper), others are made from natural fibers and decompose very easily. Biodegradable plastic bags are best suited to composting (as opposed to landfill). Degradable bags on the other hand, are well suited to landfill. They basically self destruct after a given period of time - say 18 months.

The Benefits of Hemp

Hemp is a perfect choice for an eco friendly grocery bag. Hemp is a natural fiber and is very durable.

In fact, it’s the longest, strongest most durable natural fiber known to mankind. Also, Hemp can be grown in 2 months and does not require herbicides or pesticides.

Although eco friendly grocery bags can be more expensive than other types, you get a lot more use out of them. For example, a hemp grocery bag could cost you say, $8 - $10, but it will last you many years.

Another Option - Banana Leaves

You could always take a bunch of banana leaves to the supermarket with you. In fact, that’s what the Ugandan government is asking it’s people to do. In Uganda, banana leaves is the traditional method for carrying goods, and now that plastic bags have been banned there, banana leaves are back.