Sustainable Textile Innovations: Nettle Fibres

In view of resources dwindling fast and natural fibres like cotton being resource-intensive to process and petroleum-based fibres like acrylic, polyester, nylon and spandex not being the most environmentally friendly, it is about time to look for sustainable alternatives when producing fibres and fabrics. In this new series, FashionUnited explores the sustainable alternatives and textile innovations that are currently being pursued all over the world. Today, the focus is on the common stinging nettle, Urtica dioica, which is a widely distributed plant that is easy to grow.