Green Options » fibre

Stinging Nettle Thrives in Netherlands

Delia Montgomery — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:42:19 +0000

Who is king on stinging nettle fabric? Well, Brennels claims to be the only company in the Netherlands to grow stinging nettles on a large scale. Driving forces are sustainability, fabric and fashion.

What’s new is the digestion process to produce lighter and more delicate nettle fibers to spin into fine yarns. The company has around 70 hectares of agricultural farmland in the north of the country dedicated to production with three years of extensive research under their belt.

US Scientists Make Car Parts and Biodiesel From Coconuts

Andrew Williams — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:00:01 +0000

A team of researchers at Baylor University, Texas, have figured out a way to make car parts from coconuts, opening the door to the replacement of environmentally damaging plastic with an abundant, renewable resource.

The team have also created biodiesel from coconut oil, and are confident the new fuel could be an economically viable substitute for gasoline, as well as a vital source of income for more than ten million coconut farmers worldwide struggling on tiny annual incomes, typically as little as $500.

Hemp Makes Love with Allo in Nepal

Delia Montgomery — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 06:01:35 +0000

Ecotextile News is a business-to-business magazine dedicated to the production of sustainable fashion materials. Ready to ride the green waves with everyone else, they get pretty excited about innovative green fibers. Recently they announced a new project in Kathmandu on the production of nettle fibre.

The setting is the foothills of the Himalayas. Giant Nettle, a/k/a Allo in Nepal, is a plant that grows wild, – up to three meters (or 9.84 feet) in forests. Like hemp, the plants don’t require fertilizers or pesticides. Also like hemp, the plants prevent soil erosion. In fact hemp grows well in this region too.