Silk: Can We Dethrone the Queen of Fibers?

Silk is often called the “Queen of Fibers” known for being soft, supple, and lustrous. However, silk suffers from issues with its environmental footprint and animal welfare. Did you know that the Higg Index rates silk as the most environmentally damaging material used by the fashion industry based on factors such as global warming and water usage? Silk is considered one of the “thirstiest” materials - it is estimated that between 850 and 1000 tons of water is used in the production of one ton of raw silk. Further, many may be unaware that the majority of silk production relies on killing the silkworm to preserve the properties of the silk cocoon. Between 420 billion to 1 trillion silkworms are killed annually to produce silk. Perhaps it’s time for a cleaner, kinder Queen to take the throne.