What is Regenerative Fibre?
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Trusted Clothes (Unpublished)
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2016
And we’re back again once more with a very short discussion on natural fibres! It is a discussion around shaking the conceptual apparatuses and foundations of sustainable and ethical and healthy fashion industry as I knew it. I want to talk about something completely new (to me), but a quick little reminder before we talk about regenerative fibres.
So there’s a basic distinction between natural fibres and plant fibres. Some might claim that synthetic fibres are not natural fibres, as in from nature. However, that is completely illogical because everything is from nature. The premises behind are the definition are probably around the idea things from biology – that’s probably what is meant, which is then, of course, true, but words have meanings.
Anywho or nonetheless, natural fibres divide into animal and plant fibres. Plant fibres tend to have cellulose. And fibres are the ones with the amino acids or proteins, which means that the proteins are made of the amino acids. So those are some basic distinctions to be made. Some natural fibres are cotton, linen which is made from flax, silk, wool, cashmere, hemp, and jute which is a basically for carpets mainly.
Synthetic fibres and seltzer synthetic fabrics are kind of plastic fabric, which means they don’t decompose. Natural fibres, and one flat her, actually do not decompose which is an issue in terms of the health of the environment this present point in time because we have a microplastics putting things into the environment that one of the main issues and contributive factors such as these two are the major Schuster for every single nation and the globe called global warming or climate change. Some comments that fabrics are polyester, spandex, and nylon.
Another major distinction to be made between these two is that natural fibres actually have a lifecycle whilst the other one has a one-way arrow which is not a cycle. Natural fibres have a cycle. That cycle basically includes the growth of the plant or the animal, the shearing, or dehairing, of the animal, and the harvest of the plant to get the fibres. And from this, we can then use it to make a very Starbucks and then put that into a particular or any of your most fashion trees. So this stereotyped polar bear might not be sheared or dehaired (that lack of self-esteem trophy goes to camels and bunnies in general), but it is going to shed a tear for its and our environment.
The end result of these productions can then be thrown away to decompose and made into fertilizer, then be used to grow for the plants or the crops for the fields that the animals with the clothing fibre then graze off. (nom, nom, nom.)
Unfortunately, synthetic fibres do not have that. They have a system in which they are made and then they were tossed into landfills or the ocean, which leads to the problem to do with pollution. So, the natural fibre clothing might not last as long, but will leave a definite lower impact on the environment.
Synthetic fibres will last forever or a lot longer because of biology’s inability, as far as w know, to decompose them – so they’ll end up in pieces in the ocean or landfills in one form or another whether bits or pieces. However, the intelligent decision in terms of the environment would very likely be natural fibres at this point time as far as I know.
There’s something I didn’t quite know about, and I hadn’t even covered, but I think that it’s something that is worth covering in this little short article here today. It is something that neither plant nor animal fibre. Therefore, it is not a natural fibre. Rather, it is a non-natural classification of fibre, not even a synthetic fibre. It is a regenerated fibre. Huh?
Basically, it is a natural fibre to begin, or more particularly a plant fibre, that is broken down in terms of the cellulose components of it – in many instances (there are others, apparently). These are broken down by a chemical process.
The chemical process is known as the viscose method. The viscose method involves the breakdown of the cellulose via various chemicals, and then the regeneration of the parts that were broken down with another chemical that then makes a new fibre. In other words, it is a little like removing some particular aspect of something and then filling in the holes was something else of that which was removed.
Some of these things don’t necessarily need to be referred to an ethic of good and evil or morality of right and wrong or even utilitarian analysis correct incorrect choices in particular set of possible futures. One can simply look at the way that products are made via harvesting manufacture.
They can look at the distribution networks. The distribution networks being those who are the source of materials. Those who are the transporters of material. And those are who are the recipients of the material. Out of this, we can then extract a systems-based view about the nature of fibres.
With respect to regenerative fibres, there is a sense in which a plant fibre is first needed because of the cellulose-based nature of the fibre itself. Then there needs to be a reference to the particular type of process that’s required for it called the viscose method. After that, then, the issue then focuses on the material itself, the regenerative fibre.
It might be able to be used in similar or the same fashion ministry. Maybe it’ll be worn by the same people as the synthetic or the natural fibre fashion industry without any ill health consequences. It might be able to be brought into the general consumption that works with the 60+ million tons of synthetic fibres worn by the general public within emphasis on polyester.
Or, the 25.4-million-ton industry of natural fibres with an emphasis on the 15 animal and plant flowers around the world. Nonetheless, it has to focus on the new type called regenerative fibre. Now, please bear in mind as I believe that noted at the outset of the short article, that the nature of the regenerative fibre is something that I wasn’t necessarily familiar with. It has to do with another categorization of fibre.
It is something that is originally a natural or plant fibre. That is, something that was a plant fibre, had the cellulose removed, say, and then had a chemical admixture to become a regenerative fibre.
Now, I’ve mentioned the viscose method a couple times. But what is it? Viscose method includes two parts: extrusion and precipitation. What is extrusion? What is precipitation? Extrusion is simply the act or process of pushing something out, and in this case, I assume, it means the cellulose via some chemical means (too much detail!), and then the precipitation is basically what you get with some of the weather cycle, or the water cycle of the weather cycle.
At the end of it, you will get some regenerative fibre that is capable of being worn by pretty people in ads. (Gasp! Shudder.)
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