

Why we must ban petroleum based synthetic yarns


The horror that’s unfolding on the Gulf Coast brought me to a search for the connection between petroleum and yarn. Is there one? Yes.

Acrylic is made from natural gas and petroleum. Nylon is a polyamide made from petroleum. Polyester is also made from petroleum, with coal, air and water mixed in.

It may seem like a small thing but all the fiber artists all over the world who use acrylic and reinforce their socks with nylon or use another synthetic should look very closely at the pictures coming from the Gulf before they reach for another ball of synthetic yarn. Does this seem alarmist? Should someone do the math and say, “Oh, it’s not THAT much petroleum.” Until I decided to check, I wasn’t sure. Now that I’m certain I won’t be buying anymore acrylic, or nylon reinforced yarn or anything with polyester. It’s bad enough my car uses petroleum fuel and I still have plastic garbage bags. This is a small step but one I can take.

Cotton? Sure. But please make it certified “organic”. Cotton accounts for over 75% of the world’s pesticide residue lodged in the soil and water in those areas where cotton is still king. And most of these pesticides are, you guessed it, laced with petroleum derivatives. Are they dangerous to humans and animals? You bet.

Allergic to wool? How about alpaca, silk, one of the blends made from silk, linen and organic cotton? Or soy, banana, or other new green alternative yarns? There’s life way beyond putting money in the pockets of big oil even if it seems like just a few balls of cheaper easy wash yarn. There was a time not so long ago when no one knitted or crocheted with a synthetic. So why now?

Here’s our challenge: save our oceans and the life that depends on them, and still enjoy the fiber arts. Why? Because what we do matters so much especially right now. This weekend fishing was banned from Louisiana to Florida and the catastrophic impact of this spill on the lives of the people in the Gulf, marine life and seabirds will continue to unravel in the days, weeks, months and years ahead.

How you can help the rescue efforts underway in the Gulf? Follow this link. Please join us in banning and abandoning the use of synthetic yarns and blends made with acrylic, nylon or other petroleum based yarns.

Phyllis Alberici

12 Responses

  1. Tina M. says:

    Uh-uh… can’t use any of the new plant based rayon fibers either if that’s where you’re going (soy, milk, bamboo, etc.). The process to make them is also chemically driven. Soy yarn (also known as soy silk) is engineered with biochemical polymer baths. Milk yarn is made in a smilar process, I would wager.

    By the time you get that nice, shiny bamboo based (rayon process) yarn it’s been through the wringer and none of it in a process you could ever hope to replicate at home without getting the attention of the EPA.

    HOw rayon is made:

    The urge to *do* *something* to help is commendable. The thing is, unless you’re using only yarn bought locally, from local farms and sheep, you’re a part of the problem. Otherwise, we have no idea what conditions the animals our fiber comes from were raised in. We have no clue what the shepherds were paid, or the conditions and care of the land the animals graze on. Our yarn is brought over on giant cargo ships, with all the guilt and pollutants that entails.

    And then what? If we all moved to local shepherds the demand would outstrip our ability to produce. Prices could rise beyond the reach of the common crafter, and those who see an opportunity to profit might overgraze and overcrowd in an effort to meet that demand.

    It comes down to this, just because a yarn isn’t made out of plastic doesn’t mean it’s good for the environment. The situation is far more complex than just choosing to eschew acrylic yarn, and careful consideration of what each alternative has to offer in terms of pros and cons is warranted.

  2. Harriet Levy says:

    I, too, am horrified by the recent events in the Gulf of Mexico, watching as enormous quantities of crude oil are pumped into the water. But, like Tina M., I doubt that ceasing the use of acrylic or nylon yarn is going to make one whit of difference beyond that of easing a sore conscience.

    Far more inconvenient, but having much more of an impact, would be taking public transportation or bicycle riding instead of driving gas guzzling SUV’s. Or combining errands so that one didn’t drive around in the same circle day after day going to the bank one day, the pharmacy the next, etc. Then, for those of us who would argue that bicycle riding is impossible in the Capital District in winter, I would suggest car pooling. When I look at the parking lots in some of the State Government facilities…I cannot believe that there are no two people who live in the same area who cannot arrange their work hours to be on the same schedule.

    Turning your thermostat down, and putting on a sweater – obligatory yarn related comment – would impact our use of petroleum products far more than not reinforcing the heels and toes of my socks with nylon yarn.

    For those of us in the financial position to be able to choose between “natural”, and as it has already been pointed out, unprocessed yarn – organic cotton, fair-trade wool, the choice might be simple. However, people who are losing their homes in our economy might be making the choice between knitting with acrylic or not knitting at all. If that was my choice, I’d be using the acrylic.

    But even more than that…we should be looking at electing a government that doesn’t use “Drill, Baby, Drill” as their campaign slogan.

  3. Phyllis Alberici says:

    Thank you Tina and Harriet for your responses. Thanks, Tina, for providing additional information about petrochemicals used in process ing fiber.

    However, although I value your opinions, I also find the statement you made, Tina, “the urge to “do something” is commendable” to be dismissive of my intent. Making the mistake of equating my statement with a type of “do-gooderness” arm flapping is regrettable. And your statements about solely purchasing local fiber, although well stated, wanders into a worst case scenario where local markets are overtaxed as the result of refusing to purchase any yarn from a source other than one where you can eyeball the sheep and farmer. I wish we had this type of robust fiber industry locally to support that economy; however, there are responsible companies that practice good herd management and produce quality products. As consumers, we must stop thinking that it’s just a little bit of oil and start thinking about how to turn off the faucet by considering how we purchase.

    My intent was, and is, to ask that the use of products that require petrochemicals be reconsidered. Although I deeply sympathize with folks who are unemployed, this overarching issue is not about their choices made under duress for a time. It’s rather about the broader choices we make every day that help to damage and pollute the environment. Harriet has given us some great alternatives to running up the profits for big oil.

    I maintain that everytime we disconnect from a petrochemical product, we take a small step toward a greener and healthier future.

  4. Tim D. says:

    You can start here

    and the facts behind “Bamboo”

    1. Bamboo leaves and the soft, inner pith from the hard bamboo trunk are extracted and crushed;
    2. The crushed bamboo cellulose is soaked in a solution of 15% to 20% sodium hydroxide at a temperature between 20 degrees C to 25 degrees C for one to three hours to form alkali cellulose;
    3. The bamboo alkali cellulose is then pressed to remove any excess sodium hydroxide solution. The alkali cellulose is crashed by a grinder and left to dry for 24 hours;
    4. Roughly a third as much carbon disulfide is added to the bamboo alkali cellulose to sulfurize the compound causing it to jell;
    5. Any remaining carbon disulfide is removed by evaporation due to decompression and cellulose sodium xanthogenate is the result;
    6. A diluted solution of sodium hydroxide is added to the cellulose sodium xanthogenate dissolving it to create a viscose solution consisting of about 5% sodium hydroxide and 7% to 15% bamboo fiber cellulose.
    7. The viscose bamboo cellulose is forced through spinneret nozzles into a large container of a diluted sulfuric acid solution which hardens the viscose bamboo cellulose sodium xanthogenate and reconverts it to cellulose bamboo fiber threads which are spun into bamboo fiber yarns to be woven into reconstructed and regenerated bamboo fabric.

    This gives some feel for how chemically intensive the hydrolysis-alkalization and multiphase bleaching manufacturing processes are for most bamboo fabrics that are promoted as being sustainable and eco-friendly.


    Not so green after all..

  5. Kim says:

    I would love a better public transporation system here in the capital district. I live in north Troy and work in Colonie. According to Google maps that’s more than one hour one way by bus, which doesn’t include the time for waiting for the bus and the 2 transfers. I’m sure that I’m not the only one that would use the bus if there were a reasonable commute time.

    I use very little acrylic yarn. I just looked on ravelry – 3 projects in the last 2 years using 5 new skeins and 1 using 9 stashed skeins. Not much impact if I gave up acrylic yarn.

  6. peneloped says:

    Thank you all for getting this discussion rolling. As with most environmental issues, there are so many things to consider and weigh. I am glad to see some references that I can use to help me decide on the best options.

  7. Phyllis: As always, with the internet, it’s all about the tone and body language we can’t see. There’s nothing dismissive in my intent, only sincere and passionate sharing of frustration. This is something I’ve discussed many times, with many other people and audiences, and it gets no less frustrating for all parties involved.

    The urge to DO SOMETHING *is* commendable, and that is a very good thing. It is that outrage, that opening of the eyes, that helps wake up consumers as citizens of the country (and the world)… hopefully finding the ability and information needed to make the hard choices. My sentiment isn’t about being dismissive, only about illustrating that our choices aren’t as simple as black and white, yes or no.

    My stash is overwhelmingly wool and natural fibers. I have some portion of it devoted to acrylic or blends as I have some instances where giftees don’t want wool. So while I contribute almost nothing to the acrylic consumption of the world, I am lustily contributing to the shipping around the world of Merino and other specialty fibers not grown en masse in the US. I would hazard that many natural knitters and crocheters are with me in the same boat.

    Unless we buy our products locally we are contributing to the petrochemical problem. Brown Sheep out west in Nebraska is doing a lot to promote earth healthy yarn, but we’ve still got to have it trucked out from Nebraska to the rest of us all over the country. Same with Green Mountain Spinnery, who are industry angels. What to do?

    Harriet’s ideas are very good, practical ideas that have a direct impact on our largest energy consumption demons. You too are correct that small choices can make a difference, so I would offer a few more:

    Recycling yarn from thrift store sweaters is a way to use petrochemical yarn or expensive blends like cashmere without guilt that is growing in popularity, especially among young DIY-minded stitchers. It takes time and patience, but gives acrylic a second life without purchasing new.

    Similarly, thrift stores are also good places to troll for yarn at cheap prices, finding a good score gives the yarn a second life and prevents it from ending up in landfills.

    Lastly, have a yarn party! In the past my friends and I have brought bags of unwanted yarn to paw through, trade or flat out give away. When people find out that you’re a knitter/crocheter it’s often not long before you’re given a giant bag of Aunt So & So’s vintage acrylic, so why not see if someone else wants it if you don’t? After the yarn has been gone through, whatever people don’t want to take back home can be donated to a Senior Center or to Goodwill.

  8. Kathleen says:

    Alpacas convert grass and hay into hypo-allergenic fiber. American grown alpaca ranges in quality from some of the best, softest and most long-lasting luxury yarns to strong, heavy duty fiber that can be used in rugs and even as insulation. We are seeing fiber sent to the Gulf of Mexico after the huge oil spill because it can cleanse and soak up pollutants there. It has uses we haven’t even thought about yet. This is a growing industry and those of us in on the ground floor are proud of our gorgeous herds.

  9. Lauri says:

    Uh, excuse me, you say we should use silk? Have you ever checked out the life of a silk worm & the fact that (I believe) they’re boiled alive? I banned silk from my wardrobe about 20 years ago!

  10. Avery says:

    While I can appreciate and respect your thoughts/stance on this, I just thought that it should be pointed out that polyester fabric sleeves are one of the main things being used to HELP the containment and clean-up efforts…

  11. Donna Westbrook says:

    @ Kathleen…Uh, alpaca as hypo-allergenic?… err NO.. I am personally allergic to alpaca, and know many others who can’t use or wear it as well. It is beautiful and very soft, and can usually be gotten locally. But it is an animal product, and therefore NOT hypo-allergenic. Nor is wool, angora, cashmere or any other animal based yarn. BTW, bamboo is a grass, so even before all the chemical handling, it is allergy-response-causing to many as is soy. Minimal processing of any organic is a good point. But how many are willing to buy, card and spin their own wool or cotton these days?

  12. Mary s says:

    No you are not allergic to alpaca because alpaca is HAIR without lanolin. So unless you are allergic to your own hair you are NOT allergic to alpaca.

    Now what does happen is that some makers of alpaca products “cut” their fiber with undisclosed wool. And it is the wool in cheap alpaca that you are allergic to. My advice is stop using cheap so called “alpaca” and get the real thing.