Naturally-derived
materials don’t inherently lead to eco-consciously produced fashion.
The acts of processing fibers into fabrics can often have side effects
that harm the environment due chemical nutrition that increases
outputs, synthetic poisons used to control pests, damage to land with
heavy machinery, high energy consumption and high carbon
emissions.
“We’re looking to radically shift traditional perceptions on the
silk industry by using new approaches on how silk is produced,”
Hilmond Hui, vice president of Bombyx, told FashionUnited.
As a sustainable silk manufacturer that provides materials to
brands including Everlane, Madewell, Eileen Fischer and J.Crew, Bombyx
is dedicated to producing silk fabrics in a way that isn’t harmful to
the environment.
“While silk is a natural material, the processing of it isn’t so
environmentally friendly. In the beginning stages, it has many of the
same problems that come with the industrialization of farming most
crops,” Hui continued.
Bombyx has pioneered what it describes as “an entirely vertical
silk supply chain from seed to shelf.” The company has implemented
measures to teach its farmers beneficial concepts such as
intercropping, rotational cropping and animal integration to promote
regenerative agriculture and increase carbon potential in the
land.
“By doing what we’re doing, the way we’re doing it, we are
encouraging the land to regenerate itself creating a fertile
environment for any crop to thrive,” Hui said. “Our silkworms live
directly on the farms so they can get the freshest leaves, literally
farm to table, while also allowing us to limit transport of the leaves
and carbon emissions.”
According to Hui, Bombyx’s sustainable measures result in high
quality material outputs. When better quality leaves are fed to
silkworms, the worms produce better quality silk. “If we treat the
land with the respect it deserves, the land will produce quality crops
at growing quantities,” he explained.
Bombyx offers sustainable silk at market value
While eco-conscious manufacturing systems often lead to a lack of
efficiency in production, which in turn lead to higher pricing, Bombyx
has created a system that allows it to maintain its pricing at an
industry standard.
“Speaking from an agriculture perspective, when a farm transitions
to organic they lose the ‘efficiency’ that the chemicals forced on the
land,” Hui said. “With lower output and costs staying the same or
rising, amortization of the costs will of course increase the product
price. From a manufacturing perspective, it is a heavy investment to
convert an existing traditional facility into one with energy
efficiencies and low carbon emissions due to the cost of machinery and
equipment necessary to create renewable energy.”
Sustainable measures haven’t caused a detriment to efficiency or
pricing for Bombyx as it controls its entire supply chain. This not
only allows the company to ensure sustainable implementations, but
cuts out any middlemen that can spike pricing. Hui commented, “This
way, we can offer our silk at market price (or better) sustainability
included.”
Images: Bombyx
