Here at the Wellness Feed, we love breaking down the best ethical and sustainable textiles out there. Whenever I ask people about sustainable fabrics, linen comes up. It’s made from natural fibers, it’s versatile, and it feels great to wear all year long.
But I’ve often wondered what makes it so great. Is it inherently sustainable because it comes from natural fibers? Are there other factors that make it better for eco-conscious consumers? And what about organic linen? I dove deep into the world of linen to answer all of those questions and many more. Read on for your guide to everybody’s favorite sustainable fabric, linen.
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How is it made?
Linen is a textile made from flax plants, which is why you’ll sometimes see it referred to as “flax.” Flax itself is a plant grown in temperate climates. A lot of the linen you’ll see on shelves comes from flax cultivated in Europe, North America, and China.
When flax is cultivated, both its seeds and fibers can be used for a variety of purposes. Flax seeds can be ground up into a meal that’s often used as a feed or food ingredient for dogs, chickens, fish, and a variety of other farm and household animals. Flax seeds also contain an oil, linseed oil, that’s a popular nutritional supplement that’s also used in wood-finishing products.
Once harvested, flax fibers can be separated out in a process known as retting. During retting, the bark on the flax is dissolved by natural moisture, or by being dipped into chemical solutions or a vat of hot water. After this, the fibers are dried, combed, and sometimes cottonized so that they can be more easily manipulated into textiles.
When flax fibers have been fully processed into textiles, they can be further processed into a variety of products. You’ve probably seen linen goods ranging from curtains, tablecloths, and napkins to shirts and pants. Part of the reason linen is so versatile is because of its natural properties. It is moisture wicking and it holds up under high temperatures. This makes it handy to have around at all times.
Is it sustainable?
Generally, linen is viewed as an extremely sustainable fabric. For starters, flax doesn’t require much water, which makes the growing process less water-intensive than other crops like cotton. In fact, in its life cycle, a linen shirt only uses 6.4 liters of water, whereas a conventional cotton shirt uses 2,700 liters of water.
The flax crop has a few other sustainable features as well. It doesn’t require the use of many pesticides or fertilizers. This makes it very easy for flax to meet plenty of “organic” standards. It also makes it a safer crop for workers to work with than more pesticide or fertilizer-dependent crops. Because of this and other harvesting practices, linen garments can be composted provided that they’re processed without harsh toxins and chemicals.
Flax is also a great crop for the environment. Firstly, it retains a great deal of CO2, which is beneficial to people and the planet. It’s also a completely renewable resource, as it can always be replanted and re-harvested. And, as mentioned above, you can harvest all parts of flax and use them. This makes it an extremely useful and versatile crop.
Potential downsides
As great as flax is, cultivating it can be extremely time and labor intensive. Because the seeds and fibers are both useful, farmers and fieldworkers have to carefully ensure that both stay intact. Imagine taking out each flax plant, removing the seeds, and separating out the fibers (and remembering to sort out the long fibers from the short fibers).
Many modern flax producers have machines that can facilitate the process of harvesting flax. But there’s a tradeoff–a machine-operated process involves energy and gas. The choice becomes a choice of labor hours or environmental impact.
Additionally, some of the mechanical processes used to cultivate flax can be quite harmful to the environment. Chemical retting involves the use of toxic chemicals and can be harmful to the soil, as well as the workers involved in flax harvesting. Water-retting, on the other hand, is an extremely water-intensive process. The use of water-retting could certainly affect the water usage in the life cycle of linen.
Organic
Ultimately, linen is only as sustainable as the flax it comes from. This is where the idea of organic linen comes in. As I mentioned above, even non-organic flax doesn’t require many fertilizers or pesticides. But what’s the difference?
The definition of “organic” is complicated. (You can read more on that in my piece on organic cotton). For example, The USDA organic label ensures that only a certain amount of synthetics have been used in the processing of the linen. This is the baseline for organic products in the United States.
Eileen Fisher, an innovator in high-end sustainable clothing, has a narrower definition for organic linen. Theirs is made without fungicides, insecticides, petroleum based herbicides and fertilizers, and without exposing workers to hazardous chemicals. It also contributes to a local food chain, as it’s grown in a rotational system with other crops.
As you can see, “organic” can mean a variety of things, depending on who you ask. But even with such a broad definition, according to a CFDA profile on linen quoting Eileen Fisher, only 1% of the linen that’s grown is grown organically. This means that if you’re looking for linen that’s a cut above others in terms of sustainability, you might have to do some digging.
How to source sustainable linen?
Sourcing sustainable or organic linen can be tricky. As is often the case for my breakdowns of textiles, I’m going to say that you should look out for a few key certifications. Certifications aren’t inherently perfect (check out my article on them). That said, they can at least point you in the right direction. The following certifications are the most well-known and trustworthy certifications out there for flax/linen.
- GOTS-certification
- Focuses on the processing of the linen, from first-steps through manufacturing and trading
- Assesses environmental factors like water-usage, chemical usage, and wastewater management
- Assesses social factors like workplace safety, fair treatment of employees, and wages
- BONUS: You can use this tool to find GOTS linen
- European Confederation of Flax and Hemp (CELC)’s Masters of Linen certification
- Certifies full traceability
- Textiles with this label are 100% harvested, processed, and made in Europe
- Ensures a low-carbon footprint
- Uses natural, organic methods, like dew retting rather than water or chemical retting
These certifying bodies are trustworthy sources for linen. But above all else, look for transparency. Even if a company is selling a linen that isn’t certified organic, it might still have other merits. Maybe it’s Fair Trade or it’s in the process of becoming certified by one of the certifiers listed above. Remember, there is no “perfect” sustainable product. Buy one that you can feel good about and that should be good enough.