If you have a Christmas tree in your home right now, you’re probably planning to put it out on your curb with the rest or your garbage in a week or two. But in the future, you might be able to give your old tree a new life as something else.
French company DoYouGreen has come up with a way to turn pine trimmings into a soft fabric, perfect for garments like lingerie. The fabric is smooth, thin and naturally anti-bacterial. In addition, it requires no chemical processing to go from wood to fabric. So it’s even more of an environmentally friendly process than other wood-based fabric materials like bamboo.
Founder Sophie Young told Fast Company:
“Of course you can’t transform a tree into fabric without using something. If we are wearing lingerie it must be very thin, very comfortable. But the process is natural because of using a lot of enzymes. And you must remember that even something like cotton can’t have colors without chemical processing.”
The material was originally developed by an architect who wanted to find a use for tree trimmings that weren’t fit for construction projects. So it’s clear that the environmental factors really drove the creation of this material. But being green doesn’t automatically mean that consumers will line up for a new product.
In this case, the material works perfectly for a product like lingerie. So there’s a selling point beyond the eco-friendly aspects.
As a result, DoYouGreen offers a little something for everyone. Thee is the usability of the product that makes it a practical product customers either need or want. And then there is the recycled aspect which adds interest from an environmental point of view. So it will obviously have greater appeal to customers who care about environmental issues.
The big questions remains whether people will buy it? Could the future belong to clothing made from old pine trees?
Image: Do You Green Paris, Facebook
I really don’t know what to say. Ingenious? Yes. A little weird that your underwear would be an old Christmas tree? Also yes.
It is definitely a weird concept, but I think it’s so cool – out of the box thinking and a great way to recycle those resources.
Jesus! I read this article a few times but I still don’t get how they are planning to make a lingerie from an old Christmas tree? I mean I heard for something like this for a first time and it sounds a little bit weird.
Just when I thought everything was thought of! I suppose there is no limitations to the imagination, and a great need, as millions of trees are discarded after the holiday season is over.