The
goal of the Fibres Programme is to work with industry and farmers
to establish local sustainable paper and textile production
using local resources. This will provide an alternative to unsustainable
imports of wood pulp and cotton, help create urban and rural
employment in the UK and reduce the UK’s impact on the
global ecological footprint.
The programme also aims to transfer the ideas and technologies
involved to both developed and developing countries facilitating
local production from local resources across the world.
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The
programme has two parts:
1) Paper: Implementation of a sustainable local
paper cycle where paper is recycled and, as paper can only be recycled
a limited number of times, supplemented with around 50% of locally
produced virgin pulp made from local materials such as straw, hemp
or coppice wood. The paper produced is then bought back and recycled
again. The cycle is being implemented through the local
paper projects and the MiniMill project.
2) Textiles from traditional low impact fibre crops
hemp and flax
