Flax: Bringing Back the Historic Crop Which Could Make Fashion Greener
A crop which was once a staple of Scottish farming is being revived as the fashion industry looks for ways to cut its carbon footprint.
August 31, 2023 | Source: BBC | by Kevin Keane
Flax was widely grown 100 years ago to make linen for garments and for ships’ sails.
But its decline was triggered by a move towards cheaper man-made fibres, which were often imported, and a shift away from sailing.
Now climate change is making linen an appealing option again as fashion houses increasingly demand natural, locally-grown fibres.
The Scottish varieties of fibre flax have been lost, but alternatives have continued to be grown in other parts of the world.
Now trials are taking place in Scotland to see how modern varieties of flax cope with today’s climate.
Soil Association Scotland believes that increasing demand for linen means an entire supply chain could be developed within a decade.
The trials were conceived by teams at Edinburgh College of Art, where students have been looking for low-carbon alternative fabrics.
Although linen clothing can be more expensive to buy, it’s a strong and hard-wearing fibre which means it should last much longer than cotton or polyester garments.