Posts tagged ‘carbon footprint’

July 16th, 2008

Repreve Recycled Yarn

Repreve recycled yarn

Unifi Inc. has just announced their new Repreve yarn, a 100% recycled yarn made from post-consumer and pre-consumer waste.

“Research shows it’s not just about recycling post-consumer waste. Behind every mound of post-consumer waste is a mountain of pre-consumer waste. And Unifi uses both to make Repreve.”

Repreve appears to be aimed at the industrial textile market, but it’s an interesting sign of things to come.

Acrylic yarn has traditionally been considered the “cheap” yarn, but with petroleum prices on the rise, it’s only a matter of time before Red Heart’s prices start rising quickly. Once the price rises for “virgin” acrylic yarn, recycled yarn looks like the most likely contender to fill that niche in the marketplace.

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July 10th, 2008

Yarn Prices Rising in the Industrial Sector

Twenty Dollar Bill

The rise in gas prices is having a direct effect on the industrial sector’s use of artificial fibers such as acrylic and polyester.

Wool and cotton prices are rising as well.

Although these issues haven’t yet hit the hobby market yet, it’s starting to look like just a matter of time. The cost of yarn will rise; the only question is when.

The moral of this story? Buy now! And start reading up on alternative ways to get/make yarn, including “plarn” and recycling thrift store sweaters.

[Pic courtesy Creative Commons-licensed Flickr user Darren Hester]

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July 8th, 2008

New Yarn Company: Amia Yarn

Amia Yarn

Amia Yarn is a new yarn company dedicated to locally-sourced and -spun yarn. Their current offerings are heavy on the alpaca and llama, although they may add more fibers later.

“Local” yarns like Amia and Beaverslide are becoming a hot item. Most knitters and crocheters don’t realize that the carbon footprint for a skein of yarn can be rather staggering. A typical yarn may begin as a fleece shorn from a sheep in Australia, shipped to a mill in Peru, dyed at a factory in the United States, then shipped in its final form to your local yarn store.

Aside from all that travel, local yarns are often produced with sustainability, humane practices, and organic methods in mind. Beaverslide raises their own sheep and offers 100% organic yarn in addition to their regular fare. Green Mountain Spinnery yarns are spun from 100% New England yarn sourced from local farmers, and spins it in their own mill in Vermont without the addition of harsh chemicals.

If you need any further incentive, Amia is offering 15% off orders over $50 through August 31st, 2008.

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June 14th, 2008

Fiber from recycled soda bottles

Horizonte Textil, producing yarn from recycled PET plastic

Horizonte Textil, a Brazilian textile company which produces woven fabric, has something that will make Al Gore smile. Their new Lona PET fabric is woven from a blend of recycled cotton and polyester from recycled PET plastic.

In the United States, consumers primarily see PET plastic in soda bottles (plastic 1).

No word yet on whether PET plastic yarn will be available to the hand-knitting market. (I mean, not that I can tell, anyway. Anyone speak Brazilian? Their site is all JPGs in a Flash interface, so I can’t run it through the Google Translator.)

I imagine this would make an excellent substitution for acrylic, both 100% acrylic yarn and acrylic blends. [via]

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June 12th, 2008

Rowan announces new Purelife organic product line

Rowan’s new Purelife line of organic cotton yarn has been officially launched. The Purelife line has been designed “to make the least possible impact on the environment.”

rowan yarn purelife

Grown from sustainable sources, dyed with natural dyes, packed in a UV-degradable plastic bag, shipped with a brochure printed with vegetable ink on recycled paper, this may be the most eco-friendly yarn produced to date. And a cotton yarn, to boot – cotton is one of the most pesticide-heavy crops.

No word yet on what happens if you ship this super-green yarn across the Atlantic for sale. What with the jet fuel and the carbon footprint and all. I think Al Gore stands beside the highway and sheds a single tear.

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