Jute Age or Hemp Age: Take Your Pick
by John Laumer, Philadelphia 
on 10.15.05
What luxurious carpet does not have "jute backing"? What excellent basmati rice does not come in a jute bag? As demand for jute and plastic automotive composites, jute hand bags and suitcases, jute carpet backing, and so on, ramp up, we could enter the "Jute Age"; and why not, it's a natural fiber? Things to keep mind while answering that rhetorical question include: jute comes from developing nations...places like India, Bangladesh, and China...much hand labor is required, and processing is water intensive. And it must be shipped across the sea, unlike Canadian grown hemp. Check out the jute-iculture pics below.
Photo credits go to the International Jute Study Group, which also has some lovely product photos at this link. Goodness, there's even jute clothing. If you're interested they also provide a great deal more information about jute types, processing, markets, and related fibres like Kenaf.
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