Tercel - first new fabric in 30 years -- and sustainable to boot?

Of The Earth designs and markets clothing that allows people to live simply while dressing in style and comfort. The Bend, Oregon company is a leading developer of environmentally sustainable fabrics, having introduced new blends of organic cotton, hemp, silk, wool, ramie, linen, tencel, soy, bamboo, yak and cashmere. The company is establishing a new industry standard by seeking organic certification of all fibers used in its entire product line. Of The Earth currently has third-party USDA and IFOAM organic certification on soy, linen and cotton.

Of The Earth garments and accessories are available worldwide under the company's brand name and a growing number of private labels. Of The Earth donates ten percent of its net profits to the Of The Earth Foundation in support of grass-roots environmental and humanitarian causes worldwide.

But...what is Tencel?

According to NewFibers.com Tencl is the first new fiber in over 30 years. TENCEL has been called this century's greatest advancement in fiber technology.

Lyocell is produced from cellulose, the main material in plant cells, and constitutes a new fibre for clothing, hygiene, medical and technical applications. The production process for Lyocell is environmentally friendly -- the fibre has all the advantages of a natural material and is 100% bio-degradable.

I got so excited when I read about this new fabric so, of course, I researched further and found this article at Organicclothing.blogs.com that says, "Sustainable but not necessarily healthy."

Organic_Clothing brings us a thorough overview of this new "Tencel" fabric.

Tencel(R) has gained favorable acceptance within the mainstream fashion industry and also in the eco-fashion industry as being a natural fiber that has a flattering drape and is soft, luxurious, breathable, naturally wrinkle-resistant, and environmentally sustainable.

But fabric processes go one step further. After the slurry is made it must be turned into that flat sheet we call fabric. While production of lyocell fibers is generally eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable, the process of turning lyocell fibers into fabric and garments can use many of the same harsh, and even toxic, chemicals and processes used in conventional garments.

Dyes in particular can be difficult to use with Lyocell fibers -- so the chemical processes used to color the fabric might not be so eco-friendly.

Read more about this process and make up your own mind about the level of sustainability these products deliver with their finished products.