Why choose peace silk over traditional silk

June 03, 2019

Who would have thought that this beautiful, luxurious fabric, could cause any amount of cruelty?  Unfortunately, it does.  Here's the difference between traditional silk and peace silk.

The traditional process of silk

Silk is the fiber that silkworms weave to make their cocoons – outer casings that protect them during the pupal stage. The traditional process of silk production involves boiling the intact cocoons of silkworms, while the worm is still alive inside, and unwinding the silk strand.

This is done so that the silk fibers do not break which causes the cocoons to begin unraveling so that workers can obtain the silk threads. However, that means that the silkworm dies in the process. Some 6,600 silkworms are killed to make just 1 kilogram of silk.

 

Labor intensive but cruelty-free peace silk

Fortunately, there is an alternative. Peace silk or cruelty-free silk, also known as ‘Eri’ or ‘Ahimsa’ silk is a process that allows the silkworm to emerge from their cocoon and the silk fiber is subsequently collected and spun from opened cocoons. Allowing the silkworm to complete their natural life cycle.

This process is extremely labor intensive but it provides employment benefits to the weavers and their families.

Peace silk is warmer and softer as it is spun as a fiber rather than as a thread.

Peace silk is also said to possess temperature regulating properties which help the body to retain heat in cold surroundings and expel heat when it is warm. It is also known to be hypoallergenic fabric.

Is silk sustainable?

Silk has some outstanding properties that make it a very sustainable, eco-friendly natural fiber. Silk production is considered to have very low water footprint and produce almost zero percent waste.

Silk is biodegradable within a couple of years compared to hundreds of years for synthetic materials and doesn’t emit toxins. Silk also has naturally healthy and hypoallergenic qualities.

Ethically made peace silk has great potential to provide women a source of sustainable income.  

A daily wear

Silk is extremely strong and durable despite the common belief that it is a fancier material that must be dry-cleaned. It's a wonderful, rich material that can easily be used for day-to-day wear, sleepwear or pillow slips.

It’s anti-allergic and great for the skin. Silk is also a wonderful material for babies which keeps the baby warm and comfortable. Silk can be easily machine or hand-washed, however, account for some shrinkage. After washing, the silk will wrinkle, which you can easily steam or iron out.

Find your favorite peace silk item in our bed linen collection, available for pre-order or find your favorite peace silk scarf.

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