Silk production has sparked an interesting debate among environmentalists and animal rights activists. In traditional silk production, thousands of silkworms are killed to make just a small amount of material. Silkworms are actually caterpillars that secrete silk thread to create their cocoons. Each cocoon is made from a single silk thread about a mile long, but when the caterpillar emerges from their cocoon as a moth, the silk cocoon is broken apart, which essentially destroys the silk thread. Therefore, in order to prevent the silkworms from destroying their own silk, the cocoons are thrown into boiling water, which kills the worms without harming the silk threads.
Because silk is an animal product, many strict vegans do not wear or purchase items made from silk, and because so many silkworms are killed in the production process, many animal rights activists and vegetarians steer clear from silk as well. However, most silk alternatives are synthetic and are not biodegradable. For example, rayon and polyester are often used as cheap, animal-free silk replacements, but this is far from sustainable. Not only do polyester and rayon take hundreds and hundreds of years to break down, but they also contain petroleum products, which means these fabrics are nonrenewable and solidify our dependence on foreign oil.
Luckily there is a type of silk that addresses these concerns: peace silk. Peace silk is natural silk that is created by allowing the silkworms to emerge from their cocoons. The broken cocoons are then collected and the segments of threads are mended using a spinning process. The spinning process gives peace silk a slightly thicker, softer, and more fragile texture than traditionally produced silk. Peace silk is also more expensive because it takes more time and skill to salvage and spin the abandoned cocoons, and less people are trained in this type of sericulture (silk production). As peace silk increases in popularity, so do programs like the Ahimsa Silk Project which trains local artisans on how to make peace silk, or even how to harvest cocoons from wild silk moths. These projects are likely to become mainstream over the next few years since demand for silk has been steadily increasing since 2000 and because consumers are becoming ever more aware of the impact of their purchases. Because of its benefits to people, silkworms, and the environment, peace silk sits with jute, sisal, abaca, and wool as an “eco-fiber”.
