The Benefits of Linen Bedding

Linen bedding is a popular choice. Linen fibres create a beautiful, breathable fabric that is ideal for bedding. Linen is also more sustainable than many alternative fibres—especially if you opt for organic linen.

What is linen?

Linen is a “bast” fibre made from the flax plant. A bast fibre is simply a fibre taken from the stem of a plant—other examples include hemp and jute. The linen fibres are woven together to create a strong, cool and absorbent fabric that is perfect for bedding.

The benefits of linen for the user

When selecting bedding, we typically look for a fabric that is comfortable for sleeping and easy to care for. Linen has several natural characteristics that make it a great choice for bed sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases.

Cool and absorbent
Linen fabric naturally stays cool and allows air to flow through the fibres, rather than trapping hot air inside. Unlike many other fabrics, it doesn’t cling to the body, and it absorbs moisture. This makes linen bedding especially comfortable during the warm summer months.

No need to iron
Linen sheets are made up of slubby threads, which by nature give them an uneven look and texture. As well as looking nice, this means that linen disguises creases well, so you don’t need to iron the sheets after washing.

Softer over time
The beauty of linen bedding is that the longer you have it, the more comfortable it gets. The fibres soften over time with each wash.

The benefits of linen for the environment

Often, textiles require lots of water to produce, have high greenhouse gas emissions and use chemicals that are harmful to the environment. Linen can be an eco-friendlier choice than many other types of fabric, for the following reasons:

It takes less water to produce
The flax plants from which linen is derived are generally grown in Europe. There is plenty of rain here, which means there is little need for additional water to irrigate the soil.

Fewer chemicals are needed
As flax thrives so well in the northern European climate, there is usually little need to add chemicals to the soil in the form of fertiliser or pesticides.

It can have lower transportation emissions
If buying linen bedding in the UK, there will be lower transportation emissions involved than with most other fabrics if the linen has been grown and processed in Europe. This is often not the case, as the flax is often spun in China; however, ECOSOPHY’s linen bedding is produced entirely in Europe.

The benefits of organic linen over non-organic linen

While linen naturally requires fewer chemicals to produce than some other fibres, organic linen uses none at all, and is therefore better for the environment. If you’re looking for linen bedding that has as little negative impact as possible, then organic linen is the better choice.

Currently, only 1% of linen is organic. It’s grown in France by farmers who are passionate about using eco-friendly methods that protect local wildlife. We source all of our linen from these farmers as we believe that their flax is the highest quality and most sustainable on offer. The linen is also certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard. This means that all of the processing has been carried out in accordance with GOTS’ rules, so you can be sure that the linen has not been exposed to any harmful chemicals. Read about our visit to some of France’s organic linen farmers here.

If you’d like to indulge in some sustainable luxury with organic linen sheets, you can view our organic linen bedding here.

Words: Rachel Baker
Images: Ecosophy