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Jute´s best known use is in Hessian sacking and tarpaulin. It is a plain weave cloth made in various weights and widths and water resistant. However, Jute´s role in today´s society is not always apparent. It is often the hidden component of many agricultural, industry and transport goods from the backing on carpets to encasing crucial undergrounds cables. Along with building and technical applications Jute is used in clothing, footwear, fashion accessories, furnishing and of course high quality bags. |
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A substantial industry, employing millions of people, has developed around the production of fine quality Jute. Grown mainly in India, on small family owned plots around the Ganges River Delta, Jute is obtained from two varieties of plant: Corchorus Capsularis and Corchorus Olitorus. It is a natural bast fibre composed of cellulose (the main building material of all plants) and is totally biodegradable. This fibre grows the entire length of the plant stalk from root to top - some can be 10 - 15 feet (3 - 4.5 metres) in length. |
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| Harvested from July to October when the plant is in flower, or when the seed pods are just forming, the long reed like stalks are hand cut and left to dry naturally before the leaves are removed. To extract the fibres, the surrounding bark and pith have to be decomposed. This is achieved by soaking the stalks in ponds or slow moving streams to induce a fermentation process known as ´retting´. This process lasts approximately three weeks after which the fibres are easily stripped from the core by hand. Every part of the Jute can be used. The pith is used for fabrics (bags, carpet backing, garden string and many other things), the husk is used for firewood and the leaves are used for food. So nothing is wasted. |
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