Miracles Found In Textiles

Webster’s dictionary defines miracles as an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs or an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment. Certain fibers that have been considered “miracle fibers” include organic cotton, bamboo, and industrial hemp. These fibers also have several controversies that surround them, such as contamination during the production process, mislabeling, and the most controversial issue of one being illegal to produce. These controversies lead to the question: Are these fibers truly miracle fibers or not?

The first controversy I found to be important is the issue of contamination within organic cotton that is discussed in the article “Controversy Broiling; GM Cotton Against Organic”. This article describes how organic cotton in developing countries can easily be contaminated. To fix this issue certain third party certification systems have began to develop. These certification systems closely monitor the production of the cotton to assure there is no contamination. They make visits to monitor the crops as well as require specific papers to be filled completed. The main problem now is based off the fact that clothing brands purchase their cotton from multiple producers and some of the cotton may be contaminated.

The contamination also relates to the controversial issue of mislabeling. As the new “green movement” has taken wind, some consumers are looking for items that use natural fibers. Certain man-made fibers such as rayon use the natural resource of bamboo and according to the pamphlet “Are You Being Bamboozled?” certain brands are labeling the use of rayon within a garment as bamboo to help their products be more appealing to these consumers. The main problem with this is that the production of rayon uses multiple toxic chemicals that eliminate any natural antimicrobial properties that can be found within the bamboo plant. These chemicals are also strong air pollutants that are “not considered to be eco-friendly”.

A miracle fiber that is considered to be eco-friendly also stimulates much controversy within our country, as it is illegal under federal law and several state laws. The movie Hempsters: Plant the Seed and the article “Hemp: Historical Fiber Remains Controversial” discuss multiple reasons as to why this fiber is sustainable and should be legalized. Both of these medias tell of how hemp is a plant that can with stand droughts and does not require many if any pesticides. They also discuss how this plant has been produced for thousands of years and been used in many different materials throughout that time, such as garments, bricks, and paper. The opposing groups of people who believe hemp should not be legalized argue that this plant is similar to its “cousin” plant marijuana and would be difficult for law enforcement to tell the difference between the two crops.

I believe that all of these controversies relate to the lack of knowledge available to the consumer. It has often been said that people do not like what they do not know or understand. I believe that these fibers can be called miracle fibers, as they are natural resources that can help to better our lives. We need to recognize the positives and the negatives of these fibers to develop solutions to the problems that are stimulating controversies.