Natural fibers come from natural sources and fall into two types: plant-based and animal-based. Plant-based fibers come from different parts of plants, like the stem, leaf, seeds, or fruit. Cellulose is a substance that makes up most plant cell walls and is the basis of all natural and human-made cellulosic textile fibers. Some processes separate this substance naturally, like harvesting and cleaning. Others use chemicals for plants such as bamboo. People obtain animal-based fibers from animals by shearing, combing, or collecting. Natural fibers promote environmental preservation and sustainability in many industries. They lower the carbon footprint linked to textile production and waste. They are durable and biodegradable, making them essential to our society.
Plant-based fibers include bast fibers, leaf fibers, seed fibers, and fibers from other plants or trees, like bamboo.
Bast fibers come from the phloem or bast around the stem of some flowering plants. They typically have fineness and flexibility and are called “soft,” which sets them apart from the rigid, less flexible, or “hard” leaf fibers. Many of these types of fibers serve in making ropes, twines, bagging materials, and heavy-duty industrial fabrics. Bast fibers include hemp, jute, flax, kenaf, roselle, and ramie.
Hemp is more resilient and longer lasting than cotton. It serves as a material for bioplastics, paper, and as an alternative for insulation in buildings. It also serves in food and drinks and is a source of protein and magnesium. China produces more than 50% of the global hemp and holds over half of the 600 international patents on hemp fiber and textile production.
Jute is a long, rough, shiny fiber. It spins into strong threads and is associated with burlap. This plant comes from India and serves for bags, curtains, sweaters, rugs, carpet, upholstery, cardigans, and more. Jute has breathability, versatility, anti-static properties, and it blends easily with synthetic fibers.
Flax has existed for thousands of years and holds economic importance in many countries, including Canada, China, and Russia. The seeds serve as food, food supplements, oil, soaps, cosmetics, and hair gels. Flax makes linen. People use linen for textiles, bedsheets, and apparel. For example, it blends with cotton to produce blue jeans.
Kenaf grows in Africa and serves mainly as a cordage crop and, secondarily, as livestock feed. It is used for sackcloth, absorbents, paper products, antioxidants, and building materials.
Roselle grows in Africa and also appears in the Caribbean and Asia. It serves as a laxative, treats cardiac issues and nerve diseases, appears in beverages, jellies, sauces, liquors, and wines, and acts as a source for food dyes.
Ramie is stronger than linen and is one of the strongest natural fibers that works well when wet. It is native to China and also comes from Japan, Taiwan, and Brazil. It resists shrinkage, holds its shape well, and has high stain resistance. Ramie has a fine texture like silk and usually blends with cotton or viscose. People use it for fishing nets, filter cloths, packing materials, and industrial sewing threads. Its leaves go into rice cakes and dumplings.
Leaf fibers are typically “hard” or stiff leaves that are thick and long (usually grasses, lilies, orchids, and palms). Examples of these fibers are sisal, abaca, henequen, and cantala. They are generally used for rope or woven fabrics.
Sisal is an Agave plant and is the most important leaf fiber for commercial use and quality. This plant is found in North and South America, Africa, and Asia. It is used as twine, cloth, footwear, hats, bags, carpets, geotextiles, and dartboards. It serves as fiber reinforcement for composite fiberglass, rubber, and concrete products.
Abaca is closely related to and resembles the banana plant. The lignin content in this plant is about 15% and is valued for its resistance to salt water and great strength. It is also the second-most important among the leaf fiber group. It is used in tea and coffee bags, vacuum bags, cigarette filter papers, medical food preparation and disposal papers, and high-quality writing paper.
Seed fibers develop in the seedpod of a plant and need to be separated while harvesting. Examples of these types of fibers are cotton, coir, kapok, and milkweed.
Cotton is a seed fiber. It is the most popular among all plant-based fibers. Its cloth is a staple for many different countries, like Egypt, China, India, Mexico, and Peru. In the United States, textile mills consume about 7.6 million bales of cotton each year. About 57% of these bales become apparel; the rest goes to home furnishings or industrial products. Shirts, underwear, pants, jackets, socks, and lingerie are made from cotton. This includes pillowcases, washcloths, towels, window shades, and bedspreads. Industrial applications include zipper tapes, book bindings, tarpaulins, medical supplies, and industrial thread.
Coir comes from the seeds of a coconut palm. The processing of coir fiber uses about 25-30% of the total husk, while the remaining waste can be used as fertilizer and mulch. This shows how it is valued as a renewable natural resource, and the textiles made from coir are biodegradable. Asia is the main continent that exports coir, and its uses consist of floor coverings, door mats, mattress filling, brushes, insulation panels, and packaging.
The Ceiba tree, sometimes referred to as the “silk cotton” tree, is the source of kapok. The silky, fine fibers float and repel water. These traits make Kapok useful in products like life jackets and buoys. It is in products like stuffing for upholstery and bedding, acoustic and thermal insulation, and absorbent cotton for surgeries.
Milkweed is a smooth fiber resembling kapok obtained from the large seedpods of milkweed plants (Asclepias). It is native to North America and produces a soft, lightweight fuzz called silk, or floss. Its silky, lightweight traits make clothing and upholstery padding. It can be used in place of kapok because of its buoyant quality.
Bamboo is a type of grass from the Poaceae family. It grows in tropical and temperate environments and is native to Asia. It produces more oxygen than trees, requires no irrigation, and rarely needs replanting. This shows why it is a renewable resource. Bamboo serves as housing, medicine for diseases, clothing, Asian food, scaffolding, paper, tableware, and fishing rods.
Animal fibers are complex materials made of proteins that form most of the animal body. This includes hair or fur from animals and serves for textile production for items like clothing, carpets, and upholstery. Animal fibers have similar traits like warmth, moisture-wicking, elasticity, dyeability, and durability. Common animal-based fibers include silk, wool, alpaca, mohair, cashmere, camel hair, llama, angora, yak, qiviut, and vicuña.
Sheep make wool, a type of animal fiber. It has a protein called keratin, which is the same protein in human hair. Merino wool comes from Merino sheep. It is finer than human hair and is used for luxurious clothing. Merino sheep in Australia produce 90% of the world’s fine apparel wool. Wool comes from two systems: the worsted system and the woolen system. Wool makes different types of clothing, like base layers, underwear, socks, sportswear, sweaters, and other textiles. Many different types of wool exist. These include alpaca, llama, vicuña, qiviut, camel, cashmere, angora, mohair, and yak.
People harvest silk from silkworm larvae cocoons. It is a lustrous and strong fiber. It is the strongest textile in the world. This fiber is sought after for many years and creates trade routes that transform cultures and societies. Silk originates in China, but it spreads throughout Asia and the rest of the world. It serves mainly in the textile industry to make luxury clothing, home furnishings, parachutes, and surgical sutures.
Natural fibers come from natural sources, which are plants or animals. Plant-based fibers include bast fibers, leaf fibers, seed fibers, and fibers from other plants or trees like bamboo. Animal fibers are complex protein-based materials that make up most of the animal body and come from the hair or fur of animals. Natural fibers offer important benefits for industrial trade and environmental sustainability.
