S
ilk is the most revered fabric in Indian ethnic
wear. But did you know, a 6 yards piece of
silk fabric can require up to or more than
50,000 silk worms to be killed by boiling them or
gassing them alive? As an animal product, the
end to end process of production has more carbon
footprint than locally produced, natural fabrics. It
is expensive, needs special care, stains with water,
yellows with age and is weakened by perspiration,
sun and soap. Plus it’s also prone to attacks by
insects like silverfi sh.Therefore, wearing vegan alternatives to silk that
are sustainable is a better option any day. The
icing on the cake is that they are very similar to the
original fabric and are environmentally friendly and
cruelty-free.But fi rst, let’s bust the myth of ahimsa/peace/khadi
silk.There is no such thing as humane silk. Sold under
the garb of ahimsa/peace/khadi silk, this type of
silk still involves exploitation especially of male
caterpillars which are stored in refrigerators and
used for the sole purpose of breeding; only taken
out a couple of times before being discarded to
die. Females are ground up live for testing and if
found diseased all their eggs are destroyed too.
Due to the industrial and profi t-driven nature of
this business, these lives are used for commercial
purposes at the end of the day. Thankfully, we still
have many other types of fabrics and blends that
work as a silk alternative.Guide to
Cruelty-Free Sarees
By Sakshi Arora and Rhiddhi
Patel, writers at VeganFirst.com
SILK ALTERNATIVES:- Bamboo cotton silk
- Art silk or artifi cial silk
- Viscose Rayon
- Mercerized Cotton and/or
Poly-Cotton - Polyester fabrics
e.g satin or nylon blends
A 6 yard piece of silk fabric can require
up to or more than 50,000 silk worms
to be killed by boiling them or gassing
them alive.