10 Unique Reasons why Mulberry Silk is Eco-Friendly

Ten Unique Reasons why Mulberry Silk is Eco-Friendly by Elle Smith Inspired By Elle on Elle Blog

Before launching into the 10 unique reasons why mulberry silk is eco-friendly, it is perhaps a good idea to understand the basics of how silk is made, and where the name mulberry silk originates from.

Why is Mulberry Silk Eco-Friendly?

Mulberry silk is one of the most widely available types of silk. It is produced by silkworms which are fed the leaves of the mulberry tree, which provides the name Mulberry Silk. The production of this silk is an art, where the silkworms spin spools of raw silk for many years. Part of the process to retrieve the silk traditionally involves the cocoons being put into very hot water to loosen the silk fibres. This method clearly kills the silkworm, so the ethical process will break the cocoon to retrieve the silk. The silk that is produced is one the softest and has a shiny appearance on one-side. It is highly popular for beddings, underwear, luxury scarves or bolero type jackets.

If your goal is to transform your lifestyle to a more sustainable one, you could start by asking yourself whether Mulberry Silk is eco-friendly. Yes, silk is eco-friendly as it is indeed a natural fibre.

Why is Mulberry Silk Popular?

The following advantages of silk have contributed to its status as one of the undisputed queen of fabrics, satisfying our environmental concerns and greatly broadening our artistic creativity. Silk has been a favourite material for countless years, as a popular scarf, wedding and evening dress material, it is literally "the material fairytales are made of."

10 Unique Reasons Why Mulberry Silk is Eco-Friendly

1. Promotes the Eco-Friendly Equation

The more comfortable a person is, the less stressed and the more that contributes to the promotion of good health, a big part of the ever-evolving eco-friendly equation. Because of its smooth and soft feel, it is a popular fabric for beddings, drapes, decorative pillows. Silk is also used for many other products such as luxury scarf or scarves.

2. Natural Ingredients

Silk is made up of just two natural proteins: fibroin and sericin. Compared to the endless list of household products manufactured from synthetic chemicals, it is one of the world’s most natural products.

3. Good for Health

Environmentally conscious consumers will naturally choose eco-friendly products. This ensures that they are not wearing clothes containing toxic dyes or sleeping in toxic environments. The characteristics of Mulberry silk products ensure that consumers are getting exceptional eco-friendly value.

4. Low Carbon-Foot Print

The chemical process involved in silk production has a far lower impact compared to that used in synthetics or conventional cotton production. Silk is also good for use with low impact dyes, which contributes to reducing the environmental impact of the process of fabric colouring.

5. Biodegradable

Mulberry silk is a strong and highly durable fabric, as long as it is treated with respect and care. It is also a natural fibre, that is readily biodegradable material after serving its useful life. You can then use it in the production of compost or mulch, instead of dumping it at the garbage site, like you would do with the majority of petroleum-based fabrics.

6. 100% Hypoallergenic

Besides being 100% hypoallergenic, Mulberry silk is also odourless and as such will not require any “airing out.” This is a robust, breathable fabric, a major plus when compared to other wild silks.

7. Durable

These are some of the strongest natural textile fibres globally, capable of withstanding most accidental damage easily. Bedding-ware made with mulberry silk can easily last over fifteen to twenty years when you care for them properly. This means less of our natural resources are used in production.

8. Sustainable

The art of raising and growing domesticated silkworms is, by nature, highly sustainable. When produced by weavers using handlooms, silk fabric leaves a near zero energy carbon footprint, satisfying the majority of global sustainable fabric production guidelines.

9. Promotes the Sustainability of Mulberry Trees

A single Mulberry tree feeds about 100 silkworms and one acre of these renewable trees can sustain the life of silkworm to produce between 30 and 35lbs. of raw silk. Organic silk farming thus promotes the mulberry trees sustainability, the source of silkworm’s food.

10. Process can be Animal-Friendly

In organic silk farming, the fibre only gets extracted after the complete moth metamorphosis process. However, with this method of production, the strands you get will no longer be continuous. This is because the cocoon will no longer be intact after the silk worm vacates, and this is why non animal-friendly processes do not respect the silk worms as they can obtain silk spools of many continuous metres of thread.

Conclusion

In summary, products from mulberry silk keep you healthy and warm. If you want to expand your creativity whilst staying 'green', the most logical choice is mulberry silk. This is a highly sustainable beautiful fibre if you are concerned about its environmental impact. You of course, need to research where and how your particular silk is produced and delivered; however in doing this task you will earn a great respect for this material.

Often we do not appreciate the complexity of processes, resources and time taken to produce items. However in this case an insightful trip into the world of silk will be highly interesting and rewarding, especially as you will understand that quality incurs cost.

Despite these costs, as you can see from the above ten unique reasons, that when you understand why mulberry silk is eco-friendly, the price will seem less significant. Indeed, given the longevity of silk, and the potential savings in terms of environmental impact, then arguably the rewards do far outweigh the higher cost of this fabric.