Linen is a natural bast fiber obtained from the inner bark (also called skin or bast) of flax and it is one of the oldest textiles. Flax is a fast-growing plant that needs little irrigation if grown in mild, moist climates. It also requires considerably fewer fertilizers and pesticides than cotton. As in the case of bamboo and hemp, the process of extracting the flax fiber (retting) is enabled by water, and the traditional dew retting where the flax stems are left out in the fields for a few weeks to rot is a process with low environmental impact. Other methods such as soaking in water tanks, ponds or placing stems under running water have also been used. However, the rotting stems cause water pollution and so can have damaging impacts on local waterways. Another method of flax fiber extraction is chemical retting, which is the fastest process but one that negatively affects the final quality and releases even more damaging effluents. Newer methods such as enzyme retting have therefore been developed to reduce the retting impacts. When the fiber is extracted from the plant, the production of linen is a mechanical process that involves spinning into yarns and weaving into fabric.(1-5)
LINEN
