Sustainable Textiles @ Urban Creative
Sustainable fabrics or textiles refer to fabrics that use raw materials, cultivation methods, manufacturing processes, maintenance and end of life disposal that are both earth and people friendly.
These can be textiles made from natural plant based fibers (cotton, hemp, jute or linen), recycled synthetic fibers or cellulose pulp based fabrics such as lyocell that use closed loop manufacturing processes.
Fair wages and safe working environments for farmers and workers, Non polluting and low carbon footprint manufacturing process, durability, ease of use and care and end of life biodegradability all need to be accounted for before we call a fabric sustainable.
At Urban Creative we have chosen to work with natural plant fiber based textiles that are truly sustainable. The three primary fabrics that we work with are cotton (GOTS certified as far as we can) , indigenous Kala cotton and Hemp. The textiles we use are dyed with natural plant based dyes or AZO free dyes only that have minimal negative impacts on water and soil.
To know more about our sustainable textiles , dyes and printing processes read our FAQ section below.
Frequently Asked Questions
GOTS certified organic cotton
Modern day cotton grown conventionally is one of most resource intensive crops consuming large quantities of water, fertilisers, pesticides and energy.
Organic cotton is grown from locally-adapted varieties which are tolerant of pests using legume-based crop diversification, crop rotations, and intercropping to maintain soil health with use of organic sources of fertilizer and pesticides. Water consumption is also significantly lesses than conventional cotton
Kala Cotton
Known originally as Wagad cotton it was branded as Kala Cotton in 2010-11.
The name ‘kala’ means cotton pod — the core of the cotton.
Hemp
Hemp fabric is made using fibers from the stalks of the Cannabis sativa plant.
Hemp is one of the most sustainable fabrics available today. The hemp crop is fast growing and extremely resilient, requiring no pesticides and very little land and water for cultivation. It not only renews the soil but also prevents soil erosion. The production of hemp is also carbon neutral to carbon negative which means that it absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere during its growth than is emitted by the equipment used to harvest, process and transport it !
Extremely breathable, these are also naturally antimicrobial and anti fungal making them an ideal choice for kitchen linens.