The 61st edition of the annual congress of the European Confederation of Linen and Hemp took place in Barcelona from November 28 to 30 and has been introduced by the official launch of the promotional program BE LINEN.
Co-financed by the European Union, the French government and the linen industry -CELC MASTERS OF LINEN- with a 3,3 million euro budget, the three year BE LINEN promotional program reconfirms the intrinsic qualities of European linen textiles.
The ultimate objective: dynamize consumerism ! The occasion of the E.U to show off the virtues of its linen.
First: It’s proximity! It is the only fiber that originates on the European continent and it represents over two-thirds of the world’s production: there’s no need to import it!
Second: its ecological profile! Much better than that of other natural fibers wich consume a huge amount of water. Grown mostly in Europe’s Northwestern countries ( Belgium, France and the Netherlands) with their temperate, rainy climate, it needs neither irrigation nor fertilizer. Naturally » GREEN », linen is also an ethical product that contributes to maintaining the economic and social cloth of rural areas.
Third: a question of innovation ! European scutchers, spinners and weavers rival in creativity, giving us once again a desire to wear clothes in this noble fabric and use it in our homes.
It protects us from the cold in Winter when used on its own or mixed with other fibers. In the Summer, it cools us down in non-wrinkling, ultra-light knits. It canbe coated for working in the garden, be stylishly waterproofed for outdoor use and, in a washed-out version, doesn’t need to be ironed – a real time-saver !
