Are There Eco-Friendly Blind Fabrics?
With the fabric making up such a large part of a blind, it’s no wonder people want to make sure the fabric they choose is sustainable and eco-friendly, whilst still looking good and performing well.
Commonly, blind fabrics will contain PVC or acrylic, even in small amounts. This is because these materials are affordable, easy to access and produce a fabric that is stable and easy to clean.
However, these materials are difficult to recycle, require fossil fuels to produce and don’t break down for hundreds of years in landfills. As more and more climate scientists stress the importance of reducing climate change before it’s too late, everyone should be aiming to reduce their environmental impact.
So what can we do to make our products more eco-friendly? What sustainable fabrics are available?
Use Recycled Materials
The more we recycle and extend the lifespan of materials, the less waste ends up in landfills and incineration plants. By reusing items such as plastic in new materials, such as fabrics, we can save production and energy costs, and reduce the negative impact that creating a virgin material has.
For example, manufacturing with recycled aluminium cans uses 95 percent less energy than creating the same amount of aluminium with bauxite.
There are many different options if you want to use sustainable fabric for your blinds. Our Spectrum 4060 fabric is an aluminium backed screen fabric made from 100% recycled PET bottles. PET is commonly used for packaging e.g. plastic containers, drink bottles.
Whilst PET is highly recyclable, it is difficult to reuse to make food-grade products such as bottles and containers. This is why it is used by so many other industries to make things like fabrics.
There are even some eco fabrics, like Sea Planet from Vertisol, that are made mainly from plastic collected from the bottom of the sea. Fishermen collect rubbish that gets tangled in their fishing nets, which is then separated. The PET is kept while the rest is sent for appropriate treatment. The PET is then recycled into a polymer that turns it into 100% polyester yarn, which is used to make Sea Planet.
Check for ‘Cradle to Cradle’ Certification
Cradle to Cradle Certified® is the global standard for products that are safe, circular and responsibly made.
Leading brands, retailers, designers and manufacturers across the value chain rely on the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard to ensure the impact of their products on people and planet is a positive one.
Cradle to Cradle Certified assesses the safety, circularity and responsibility of materials and products across five categories of sustainability performance:
- Material Health: ensuring materials are safe for humans and the environment
- Product Circularity: enabling a circular economy through regenerative products and process design
- Clean Air & Climate Protection: protecting clean air, promoting renewable energy, and reducing harmful emissions
- Water & Soil Stewardship: safeguarding clean water and healthy soils
- Social Fairness: respecting human rights and contributing to a fair and equitable society
Many manufacturers, such as Vertisol, have achieved Cradle to Cradle certification for their blind fabrics. One of their fabrics, Pledge FR, is made mainly from PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) which is extracted from sugar cane, beets and corn which are renewable and sustainable sources.
If you want to choose a fabric that is sustainable in terms of both its environmental and social impact, looking for C2C certification is a great place to start.
The Manufacturer
You might not realise it but the manufacturer you choose to buy your fabric from can also have an impact on the environment. For example, where is the company based? If the production facility is based in the same country as you, then getting the product to you will create fewer emissions than it would if it required ships or planes to transport it.
Packaging also matters. Does the supplier use an excessive amount of plastic in their packaging? Do they utilise recyclable materials such as cardboard or shred instead? These are all seemingly minor things that are worth thinking about when choosing your supplier for your next project.
Umbra are a carbon neutral, UK based manufacturer who are experts in automation and sustainable shading. For free advice or guidance on specifying your shading package for your next project, why not book a session in our virtual showroom?
Our expert will demonstrate full-size products in our custom-built space over video call, so you can book it at a time that suits you. Interested? Click the button below to book your free project consultation.
