The Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR and World Agroforestry (ICRAF) joined forces in 2019, leveraging a combined 65 years’ experience in research on the role of forests and trees in solving critical global challenges.
Bark cloth sourced from the agroforestry systems of smallholder farmers in East Africa has been recognized as among the 10 most innovative materials developed in the world in 2013.
Bio Pro website reports that a German company is using traditional methods to produce bark cloth for interiors and textiles from the African fig tree (Ficus natalensis). The material’s production has been recognized as ecologically, economically and socially sustainable through the LAUNCH System Challenge: Fabric initiative.
The trees from which the bark is sourced are mainly grown on small-scale family farms. The trees provide shade to other plants and prevent erosion, and the fallen leaves help to fertilize the soil. They are grown in agroforestry systems alongside plantains, coffee and vanilla.
Ficus natalensis trees grow extremely quickly and can easily be propagated with shoot cuttings. Bark can be stripped after 3 years and then regenerates, so trees can be repeatedly harvested over many years.
“Ficus natalensis strengthens the traditional agroforestry land-use ecosystem and enables farmers to grow much larger amounts of food than if the tree was not there,” says Oliver Heintz, head of the company, BARK CLOTH_europe.
The bark cloth is produced in villages and small towns in Uganda with women providing the labor force for the refinement of the fibres. Production processes have low energy and water consumption and a neutral CO2 balance.
The main markets for the product are interior decorations, furniture and lighting components. The company also produces wall paper, lampshades and decorative laminates.
Read the full story: BARK CLOTH_europe – success through saving resources
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