Which textiles are animal-friendly, ecological and which are not? This is a question you can answer if you know the details of all textiles. In this article, we will take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of various types of textile, including silk. Silk is a natural material that comes from the cocoon of the silk moth Bombix Mori. The threads of the cocoon are unwound and used to make silk textiles, such as clothing and bedding. To unwind the silk from the cocoon, the ‘glue’ that holds the cocoon together must be unwound in lukewarm water. Is that animal-friendly? You can read it in this article.
Silk
Silk is a natural product. It is extracted from the cocoons of the silk moth larva. After the larva of the Bombix Mori has eaten with leaves from the Mulberry tree, it spins itself with more than 3000 meters of homemade silk threads, into a white cocoon. The longest wire in 1 piece can be up to 900 meters. In this cocoon the process of change takes place from larva to moth. A cocoon contains up to 3000 meters of thread! Silk production is ecologically To mention: only a little water is needed.
To good quality silk to get it, it is necessary to process the cocoon before the moth comes out. Once the moth is out, the cocoon is damaged. What remains are short silk fibers, which hardly have the moisture and heat regulating and anti-allergic properties of silk. The cocoon is settled in warm water. The silk fibers are then dried and woven into silk yarn. Textiles are woven from this yarn.
Features silk production
- Ecological: production only uses a little water. No chemicals.
- High quality textiles
- The larva should not come out of the cocoon: silk is therefore unsuitable for vegans.
- Dr. Thierry Backeljau, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences University of Antwerp, indicates in his research that it is very likely that silk larvae cannot feel pain.
- Norwegian researchers made headlines in 2011 with this conclusion. Shrimp, mussels and snails are unable to experience pain. Even a lobster that screams when thrown into boiling water feels nothing. He screams because of a reflex, not because of supposed pain. The nervous system of these invertebrates (a larva is an invertebrate) is simply too simple to feel anything. So simple that they have no idea what is happening. And if they have no consciousness, they cannot suffer. (see sources 1 and 2)
- No waste: everything is used. The larva as food and medicine, the short fibers of the mulberry silk are used as so-called ‘wild silk’ (duvet) or bourette silk (t-shirt)
- Organic silk does not allow the doll to come out of the cocoon either. Peace silk or Ahimsa Silk, is the only type of silk that makes the doll come out. Then the short fibers remain. These are suitable for decorative pillows and scarves, for example. Bedding does not exist in this type of silk because it is not suitable for it. When growing Ahimsa Silk, 95% of the eggs are destroyed.
Production of cotton
- Ranked 1 in the top 5 of drinking water threat worldwide (WWF)
- Consumes a lot of water and toxic chemicals, fertilizers and pesticides
- Mono-cultivation: it depletes the soil, making it virtually infertile after a number of years
- Inexpensive to purchase, depending on the brand
Production of organic cotton
- Certified according to the Global Organic Textile Standard: from cotton seed to end product: 95% of the end product must consist of certified organic cotton
- Uses less water than regular cotton
- Uses natural and harmless dyes and bleaches instead of many toxic chemicals.
- Costs more than regular cotton
- Softer than regular cotton
Production of down
- Animal unfriendly: birds can feel pain and are plucked alive
- There are also brands that sell animal-friendly down
- Need chemical treatment to make it anti dust mite
- Filling becomes thinner after use
- Nice and warm and airy duvet
Wool production
- Various chemical baths are required to make it suitable for processing into textiles
- Shearing of the sheep can be good or very animal unfriendly (as was seen in Uggs video)
- Dutch product
- Nice and warm and moisture-regulating
Production of synthetic material, polyester
- Chemical product from chemical industry: raw material is petroleum.
- Not eco friendly
- Synthetic textile is a type of plastic: cheap and easy to wash
- Cause of plastic soup in the ocean
- According to researchers, the textile fibers eventually end up in the ocean through our washing machines. These smallest fibers are the biggest problem in the ocean.
Production of Tencel-TM and lyocell and Bamboo
- Eco friendly. Tencel-TM is a brand Lyocell of certified brands has a Greenkey quality mark
- Growing bamboo can be called ‘green’: it requires no chemicals or fertilizers and little water. The textile production process is either a viscose method or a lyocell process. The latter is the most eco-friendly of the two.
- Absorbs 50% more moisture than cotton
- Easy to maintain
- Lyocell is a very fine and soft fabric
- Viscose is less strong than cotton or silk, so it wears out faster
The best tip for making animal-friendly, environmentally-friendly and ecological choices is: buy quality. You can use this for a long time and then you have the least impact on the environment. Finally, recycle where possible.