Staying warm in the winter means you will need either a nice pair of warm jackets with thick warm fiber. However, people are starting to be aware of the potential damage of global warming and animal cruelty. Thus, companies are starting to look for innovation with less waste and stop harassing the goose down. And the answer is kapok fiber for insulated jackets.

As A Jacket Filling

One of the most famous uses of kapok is as a stuffing material. It has the property of being water-resistant, flotation rings, soft, shorter fibers, and fluffy. As it also has a hydrophobic property, it can work as a winter jacket or insulated jacket filling. It is as warm as goose down. At the same time, it also offers warmer insulation better than polyester. That is why it works.

Yarning With Polyester

Aside from the pure and real warmth, kapok is 100% organic. It is harvested and gathered from kapok tree that is found in tropical rainforest. Indonesia is one of the big kapok producers. However, the light and biodegradable substance were known for its too short fiber. Thus, it is hard to yarn, or impossible to spin like how cotton works. But, the current technology gives a solution for it.

Kapok light and short fiber need different materials to yarn into fabric. It works with cotton and polyester. But a Japanese company find the perfect combination of 40% kapok fiber and 60% recycled polyester. Once spun and yarned, it can provide a thin yet warmer fabric. It is environmentally friendly. It is possible to help reduce goose down and polyester demand.

Kapok might know for its light and fluffy properties that fit with its uses as filling. But it is also possible to combine kapok with polyester to make a warm and soft fabric material. As technology has provided a solution to process kapok, this material is no longer a nightmare for the textile industry.