Scrolling Facebook the other day, I came across a post in the Flax to Linen Facebook group mentioning a seminar where flax experts, researchers and enthusiasts across northern Europe come together to discuss their projects and their views of the future of the plant. No way am I missing this!! (I nearly did since it started at 12:00am Friday night NZ time & a few ciders with the girls almost derailed my plans!!)
The promotional text goes:
Our goal? To plant the seeds of collaboration and growth. We're all about sustainable practices, and we believe in the potential of flax cultivation to make a positive impact.
With visionary sustainable partners such as The University of Borås, Textile Fashion Center Borås, Science Park Borås, Rydal Swedish International Weaving Center and others, it's obvious that the European countries are future focused.
1sqm of Flax
The first main project discussed was an initiative aimed to promote the love and understanding of growing your own fibers called "1 sqm of Flax", inviting people to grow their own lot of flax on 1 square meter of land followed by regional workshops to process the flax.
I'd love to try this project here! Unfortunately due to the shape of our country the workshop side of this initiative could prove difficult, however, collaboration with other enthusiasts nationally could be the key! What do you think?
Some short notes from these 1sqm Flax projects:
- Countries involved include Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia and more are joining each season!
- It's important craft and industry work together to build this circular economy.
- The Nordic Genetic Resource Centre has 27 varieties of flax and are currently researching the properties of each.
- Clothing has become "cheap in the shop but the cost is too big for us and the future".
- The 1sqm Flax project can be a pilot for learning about other materials & vis versa. eg. One country is starting 1sqm Hemp next season!
- One group partnered with the local botanic gardens to widen the audience! Brilliant!
Taito
Paula Vanne is such a bubbly flax enthusiast, sharing the knowledge of flax production with schools across Finland. She also contributes to a shared knowledge craft website called Taito.
80-85% of global flax cultivation is in Europe however there is hardly any that gets processed there, prefering the cheaper labour of China. This is something these panelists would like to see changed.
The Linen Project
For me, the rockstar of linen growing & processing is The Linen Project in the Netherlands. Their systematic approach to "learning by doing" is something I resonate with completely and the textiles they have created over the last couple of seasons are just GORGEOUS!
The struggle to have their crops processed was huge, having to travel across boarders to find spinners & weavers, they took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic and managed to get their "small" quantity of flax straw processed.
Our Linen Stories/ Journeys in Design
Dr John Ennis is the passionate linen enthusiast speaking about Our Linen Stories from Dunbar, Scotland. His vision is to bring the nations together in collaboration, mining the rich heritage of linen through the generations with a focus on todays circular and regenerative economies.
He mentioned a Swiss study on the boost to yield and biodiversity when adding flax to an arable rotation which he kindly shared the link to & I'll be delving into in the coming weeks: https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2021/06/mixed-cultures-for-a-greater-yield.html
This seminar was well worth staying up for. To see so many projects, big and small, across Europe, a powerhouse of innovation and leaders in the sustainable changes needed during this climate crisis, I feel we're aligned in seeing this plant as a viable solution to the wasteful use of resources globally.