Jute is the the sustainable superfibre we’re loving at takegoodcare

Here at takegoodcare we’re always conscious of the environmental impact our products have on our planet. That’s why we reduce our plastic usage as much as possible, select sustainable materials for our products, and make sure our packaging is recyclable.

Jute has become one of our best materials for successfully running an online eco shop. As we all become increasingly aware of the environmental impact of our everyday choices, the search for sustainable alternatives to traditional materials has become a global priority.

Jute is one of these materials. With its versatility and affordability, jute has proved to us that it can handle pretty much anything – from packaging materials to amazing fashion pieces.

We’re excited about jute and how it can help the world, so we want to talk about it with you.

What is jute?

Jute is a natural, long, soft and shiny vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is derived from the corchorus plant family, which is primarily grown in tropical and subtropical regions such as Bangladesh, India and China.

Jute is often referred to as the “golden fibre” due to its beautiful golden-brown colour and its high cash value. It’s this colour that makes it perfect for durable fashion items like bags, and the ideal beach companion.

Why jute is popular

We’ve discovered several reasons why jute is becoming a popular choice for our eco-conscious shoppers. Here are just a few we can think of, but we’re sure there are more!

• Sustainability: Jute is a renewable resource, which means that it can be grown and harvested repeatedly without harming the earth. Moreover, it has a relatively short growing cycle of four months. That makes it an ideal crop for farmers who want to grow multiple crops per year.
• Biodegradability: Jute is a biodegradable and compostable material, meaning that it will decompose naturally when discarded. Jute is often treated before being sold, so we make sure our jute products will decompose in time. This is very different to synthetic materials like plastic, which take hundreds of years to break down and often end up polluting our oceans and landfills.
• Versatility: Jute fibres are incredibly strong and durable, which allows them to be used in a wide variety of applications, such as our beach bags to gift box packaging materials.
• Affordability: Despite its numerous benefits, jute remains an affordable option for both manufacturers and consumers. We love it because it reduces our packaging costs while also looking great! Its widespread availability and ease of production make it a cost-effective, eco-friendly choice for anyone looking to adopt more sustainable practices.

How we use jute

Here at takegoodcare we try and minimise our impact on the world, and reduce waste as much as possible. Our founder Barbara quickly discovered that jute is the perfect material for both packaging and products, due to its sustainability, versatility and, well, feel! So, we stocked the takegoodcare shop with some great jute products for people across the UK to enjoy.

Here are some of the ways we use jute…

In our packaging
Our popular gift boxes – such as the vegan box and ultimate sustainable box – are wrapped in jute ribbon to keep them safe and secure when out for delivery. They also look amazing too! No more plastic ribbon. We found string to be too flimsy, but jute is the perfect material for keeping everything in order and beautiful too.

In our utensils
Whether it’s the coconut bowl set or our bamboo cutlery, we ensure our utensils are packaged neatly in jute wrappers. This is better for the environment and your utensils, as the jute wrapper is far less likely to break than plastic.

In our fashion range
We launched the TGC striped jute beach bag last year and there are still a few left in stock, ready for the summer! The bag is durable and stylish, with mint and gold stripes. Jute is a great material for printing on – as our customers who bought this bag can testify!

Other great things about jute

While we were researching our product line, we realised jute’s importance in how the world produces sustainable materials. It’s not just that jute biodegrades… it’s also a low-impact material.

Jute benefits:

• Growing jute requires low water consumption compared to other materials like cotton
• Jute is a ‘carbon negative’ crop that absorbs more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than it omits
• Farmers don’t need to use pesticides to keep jute healthy
• Jute fibres are processed by ‘retting’, which separates the plant using non-harmful methods and prevents toxins spilling into the local water tables